End of Days
by Kaychan87
Summary: Five years after Aizen escaped from his prison, the worlds have been thrown out of balance. With help from Urahara, Ichigo and his allies set out to defeat their greatest enemy once and for all. IchiRuki. IshidaYuzu. HisagiNanao.
1. Prologue

_**End of Days**_

**Disclaimer: **Bleach and its characters belong to Kubo Tite. Any OCs belong to me.

**Author's Note:** Welcome to my new project! I hope you all enjoy! The bulk of the story is set 5 years after the Quincy War, with some flashbacks mixed in. It is IchiRuki. Inspired by drabble #77 from _More Romantic Bleach Drabbles_, though it is not necessary to have read the drabble.

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><p><em><strong>Karakura 2003<br>**_

_"Karin-chan! Where are you?!" Kurosaki Yuzu shouted as she made her way through the wreckage of the Kurosaki Clinic. Her head was spinning and there was smoke and debris everywhere but she had to find her twin. She had to know if her sister was safe. "KARIN!"_

_Everything had happened quickly. One minute their father was running out the door, shouting for Karin to protect Yuzu, and the next the roof of the clinic had come crashing down. Yuzu had only been able to make out a large blurry shape after climbing out of the rubble. Her father and sister were nowhere to be seen._

_Tears began to blur her vision and her head was throbbing even more than it had been moments ago. She put her hand to her temple and felt something wet and sticky – blood, undoubtedly. As much as it hurt, though, Yuzu was determined to find Karin before anything else did. She had to keep moving or she was as good as dead. She might not be able to always see the monsters her twin sometimes told her about, but Yuzu knew that something like them had attacked her home. Finding Karin was her only option._

_"Karin-chan!" she called again as she resumed walking._

_She had barely made it two steps before the ground beside her exploded. Yuzu went tumbling into what had been a wall with a shriek. She could make out the sound of triumphant laughter somewhere over her but her vision was blurring again, rendering her sightless. Yuzu closed her eyes and whispered a plea for help one last time._

_After a moment she opened her eyes, wondering why she hadn't been killed. All she could make out was a vanishing black shape while a white one raced towards her. The white shape began to take on a distinctly human appearance as it came closer to Yuzu. The girl blinked as the person began to resemble someone she recognized. '_One of Ichigo's friends,_' she thought as she looked up at him._

_"You're Kurosaki Yuzu, right?"_

_Instead of answering, Yuzu asked, "Karin-chan?"_

_"She's safe. I'm going to take you to her now."_

_Yuzu nodded and winced slightly. "Thank you… Ishida-san?"_

_"Yes. Ishida Uryuu. I'm glad you remember me," her rescuer said as he gently lifted the injured girl from the ground._

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><p><em>Ishida Uryuu made his way toward his home, the injured Yuzu on his back. Her twin, Karin, walked beside them, her left arm in a make-shift sling. The first place Uryuu had thought to bring the Kurosaki twins was to his own home in hopes his father could help them. The girls' own father had been nowhere in sight when Uryuu had arrived at the Kurosaki Clinic.<em>

_"You're sure this place is safe?" Karin asked again. "Wouldn't it be better to find Urahara?"_

_"If I knew for sure he made it back, then I would go there," Uryuu explained._

_"What if no one realizes we're here?" the dark haired Kurosaki twin continued._

_"They'll detect our reiatsu," Uryuu said._

_"How come you're back without Ichi-nii? Don't you guys fight together?"_

_Uryuu grimaced. "It's complicated."_

_"Ishida!"_

_Karin and Uryuu stopped walking. There was a small group standing in front of the Ishida home. Both of the Kurosaki men were there along with Uryuu's father and two Shinigami – Kuchiki Rukia and Abarai Renji – who Uryuu had once considered allies. He could see the angry, hurt expressions from where he stood._

_"Ichi-nii looks pissed," Karin said._

_"I told you, it's complicated," Uryuu replied. He resumed walking with Karin, knowing things would not end well for him._

_Ichigo moved to meet them but he was stopped by his father. "Dad!"_

_"He's carrying your sister on his back. Let me get her first before you have it out with him," Isshin said to his son. Without waiting for Ichigo's answer, Isshin approached Uryuu. The Kurosaki patriarch regarded Uryuu thoughtfully before retrieving Yuzu from him._

_"Good to see you're alive, Goat Chin," Karin said before hugging her father._

_Isshin smiled at Karin before going on to address Uryuu. "Thank you for saving my daughters."_

_Uryuu just gave a nod as Isshin retreated with the twins. He turned his attention back to Ichigo, ready to face him._

_Using shunpo, Ichigo was in front of Uryuu in an instant and his fist connected with Uryuu's face, sending the Quincy's glasses flying. "What the hell Ishida?!" the Shinigami roared._

_Uryuu's hands flew to his face as he muttered a string of pained curses._

_"Why did you betray us?!" Ichigo demanded as he grabbed Uryuu by the shirt and shook him._

_"I wanted to avenge my mother! And all the other Quincy Yhwach killed!" Uryuu yelled back, his voice muffled by the hands still covering part of his face._

_Ichigo's grip on Uryuu loosened. "You… what?"_

_Uryuu lowered his hands from his face, revealing a potentially broken nose. "It was the best way I could think of. I knew you would rush off to Soul Society. But I… I never anticipated… well, this," the dark haired Quincy explained._

_"You… what?" Ichigo asked again, still in shock._

_"You have your methods, I have mine," Uryuu sighed._

_"I ought to punch you again for not telling us!" Ichigo exclaimed, releasing Uryuu completely._

_"And risk being found out?! The Sternritter were already suspicious of me! And I didn't know how much you knew Kurosaki!" Uryuu snapped._

_"We're still a team Ishida!"_

_"No, I'm a Quincy and you're a Shinigami!"_

_"My mother was a Quincy too!"_

_"You wouldn't know how to be a Quincy even if you tried!" The two teenagers glared at each other, neither one willing to be the first to back down._

_"Ichigo! Ishida! Enough!" Rukia yelled, storming over to them. She kicked Ichigo in the shin before turning to Uryuu. "You can explain everything after we get to Urahara's," she said._

_"All right," Uryuu agreed._

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><p><strong>Karakura 2008<strong>

Karakura could have passed for any war torn city in the world. While many people were blind to the monsters attacking their world, they were not ignorant to the chaos and danger surrounding the world. They believed the world was ending and maybe it was. Karakura certainly looked like the world had ended or so Kurosaki Ichigo thought. His home had begun to resemble the Seireitei after the Quincy and Aizen had had their way with it. It pained the young man to see his home in such a state. But that was why he and his friends were fighting so hard. One day they would end Aizen's reign and rebuild both the material world and Soul Society. Ichigo would not rest until he had accomplished his goals.

"Ichigo, you have that faraway look in your eyes again," Kuchiki Rukia said, pulling Ichigo out of his own world and back to reality.

"Did you say something?" Ichigo asked his companion.

The petite girl just shook her head at Ichigo. "You've been quiet lately. You can confide in us, you know," she said as she came to stand beside Ichigo. They were outside what used to be Urahara Shouten, their original base of operations.

Ichigo just gave a half shrug. It was true that he had a lot on his mind but he didn't feel the need to burden his friends with it. Everyone had so much to worry about as it was. They didn't need to worry about his worries, too.

"I mean it, Ichigo. We're all starting to worry about you! Stop being stupid and let us help already!"

Ichigo looked down at Rukia. His expression softened at her words. Everything that had happened to him had happened with Rukia at his side. It was a simple fact that probably wouldn't change. "It's been a year," he finally said.

Rukia looked up and met Ichigo's gaze. While his was a look of tenderness, hers was one of absolute certainty. "They're alive," the dark haired woman said.

"Thanks," Ichigo said, placing his hand gently on her head and ruffling her hair a bit.

Rukia smiled, though she was laughing inside. She was amused that after the last few years Ichigo was still awkward when it came to showing romantic affection. It was one of the many things she loved about him.

"A pat on the head?! Seriously?!"

Rukia and Ichigo whirled around, both blushing faintly, and glared at the person who had interrupted them.

"What the hell Renji?!" demanded Ichigo.

"Your mopey ass was so distracted that you weren't even hiding your reiatsu!" Renji fired back.

"That doesn't mean you have to sneak up on us!"

"Do you think the enemy wouldn't sneak up on you?!"

"Do you want me to kick your ass like I would an enemy?!"

Rukia shook her head and sighed. "If you morons don't shut up, someone will find us!" she snapped after letting them bicker for a few minutes. It gave them all a bit of normalcy that they had lost over the last few years.

"Keh. Stop making goo-goo eyes at each other and patrol normally then," Renji mutter as he shifted his attention to Rukia.

"Shut up, idiot!" Rukia growled, her blush returning.

Renji just smirked at her. On the surface, it was an arrogant kind of smirk but Rukia had known Abarai Renji for a long time. She could read him like a book and offered him a smile back. Renji, she knew, had been just as worried about Ichigo.

"You two can go back now. I'll finish the patrol by myself."

Rukia and Renji glanced over at Ichigo. Their concern must have been evident on their faces because Ichigo just smiled at them – a rare reaction from the former substitute Shinigami. "Are you sure…?" Rukia asked.

Ichigo nodded. "I am."

"Good. I'm starving. C'mon Rukia," Renji said nonchalantly.

"Renji, thanks," Ichigo said as he watched his friends turn away.

"Just don't go stupid again," was Renji's reply.

Ichigo nodded and the trio went their separate ways.


	2. Chapter 1

_**End of Days**_

**Disclaimer: **Bleach and its characters belong to Kubo Tite. Any OCs belong to me.

**Author's Note:** It's update day! Thought I should add some warnings about this story. People may be out of character and there are OCs. This chapter introduces two of them. As far as timeline goes, the large part of this fic takes place in 2008. Flashbacks will be noted with the year and italics. Dates based on the timeline over at Bleach Wikia.

Also, I want to take a moment to thank (again) the wonderful darklover for listening to all my crazy ideas and vague comments about this story. She's awesome! 

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><p>Ichigo made his way back into Urahara's underground haven after his patrol had ended. He was still plagued with worry but talking had helped him. While there was quite a bit to be worried about, he still had much to be thankful for. He surveyed the main room in the haven, where everyone seemed to gather during the day. His family and friends from Karakura were living together with his comrades from Soul Society. Their numbers were relatively small compared to when Urahara had first created their haven but Ichigo hoped that would soon change. After a year of waiting, he hoped the others would return at some point.<p>

"Ichi-nii! You look a lot better now!" Kurosaki Karin, on of Ichigo's two younger sisters, called when she noticed Ichigo was back.

"Yeah. Sorry for worrying you," Ichigo said as he approached her.

"Don't forget to tell that to Goat Chin," Karin advised her brother. Even though she was eighteen, Karin still used her juvenile nickname for her father. It was something of a comfort to the Kurosaki family after everything they had endured.

Ichigo let out a groan. "Don't tell me he's been acting ridiculous again!"

"'Again'? He's never stopped. He's been trying to get Ganju pity him all day," the dark haired Kurosaki said.

Ichigo covered his face with his hand and groaned again.

"Anyway, I need to find Rukia. She's supposed to help me with some kidou training," Karin told Ichigo.

"Oh, yeah, she's good at that," Ichigo said a bit awkwardly. Sometimes he still saw Karin as the little girl he had to protect. It always hit him hard when she talked about training as a Shinigami. "Hurry up before she gets mad," Ichigo added quickly and ushered Karin off to find Rukia.

Karin gave him an odd look but went on her way regardless.

Ichigo let out a sigh when Karin was gone. With Yuzu gone, Ichigo couldn't help feeling extra protective of Karin.

"It is not an easy thing, is it Kurosaki?"

Ichigo turned and found Kuchiki Byakuya standing next to him. "Eh?"

"Being a brother," responded Byakuya.

Ichigo eyed the Shinigami next to him carefully. Even after living in close quarters with the older Kuchiki for five years, Ichigo still wasn't sure what to make of Byakuya sometimes. Though if anyone understood Ichigo's feelings regarding Karin, it was Byakuya. "I guess so," the young man finally agreed.

"You should take pride in her progress as a Shinigami," the dark haired taichou suggested.

"I am proud of Karin and of Yuzu, wherever she is," Ichigo said.

Byakuya just gave a nod.

Ichigo looked over at Byakuya again and raised an eyebrow. "You know you have a tiny stalker, right?" he asked and motioned to the small child who was watching Byakuya from a distance.

Byakuya glanced in the direction Ichigo had indicated. "Indeed."

"What's up with the kid? She never speaks. She just follows people around. It's kinda creepy," inquired Ichigo.

"Hisana will speak when she is ready. There is no need to concern yourself with her," was Byakuya's reply.

"You don't think it's odd that she's got the same name as Rukia's sister?" Ichigo continued. He didn't know much about the situation with the late Hisana but even he found it weird that Byakuya would rescue someone just because they shared a name.

"Again, it is nothing for you to concern yourself with," Byakuya said firmly. He turned without another word to Ichigo and approached the toddler. He knew he was not being entirely rational where the child was concerned but he could not help himself. He had spent two years trying to figure it out for himself.

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><p><em><strong>Karakura 2006<br>**  
>It was Kuchiki Byakuya's turn to patrol Karakura. The day had been filled with rain but dusk had brought a break in the storms with it. It was a small streak of luck and the head of the Kuchiki Clan hoped that luck would remain with him through his watch. Though he would do his duty without fail, he could not help hoping for the rain to hold off.<em>

_The Shinigami's luck held for the majority of his patrol. It wasn't until the end that things took an unlucky turn. He had found a Hollow preying upon an injured human. He had planned to dispatch the Hollow quickly, leaving the human to think it had been something akin to an animal attack. Byakuya used his shunpo to bring himself closer, ready to slay the Hollow._

_When he arrived closer to the scene, what he saw genuinely surprised him. A young human woman was using whatever she could find to keep the Hollow at bay. The way she sat on the ground indicated to Byakuya that she had been injured. She was fighting for her life, which wasn't what surprised Byakuya. He understood the desire to survive. What surprised Byakuya was the look of fierce determination on her pale face. In a way, she reminded him of his sister's human friends._

_The woman, however determined she looked, was losing to the Hollow. It was plain to Byakuya that the Hollow was just toying with her. He closed the distance between them, appearing between the human and the Hollow. He released his Zanpakutou as he did so. "Chire, Senbonzakura."_

_The human behind him let out a surprised cry as the Hollow was attacked by the cherry blossom-like blades of Senbonzakura. Just as quickly as it had begun, the battle was over and Byakuya sheathed Senbonzakura and began to walk away. He never truly expected that she would see him without his gigai on or that she had seen the Hollow for what it was._

_"Save them," came a pleading voice from behind him. Byakuya stopped and glanced back over his shoulder. The young woman's eyes locked onto his. "I don't know what you or that thing are, but please save Kohaku and Hisana!"_

_Byakuya's eyes widened ever so slightly at the sound of his late wife's name._

_"They're just babies, they won't survive on their own," the human girl continued. She moved slightly, wincing as she did so, to reveal two small figures huddled behind her._

_Byakuya moved back over to them, taking in the sight of them. Though injured, the young woman still looked determined and a little defiant. Byakuya understood why she had fought so hard as he glanced behind her to see a boy of about three clutching tightly to a swaddled infant. All three of them seemed to share the same jet black hair – though the older girl's seemed to have rainbow stripes in it – and chocolate brown eyes. Byakuya noted that none of them bore any resemblance to his Hisana or to Rukia._

_"Well? Are you going to help them or what?!" the young woman demanded. She was answered by a clap of thunder and a sudden downpour of rain._

_Byakuya looked down at her, unaffected by the rain. "I will help."_

_"Thank you."_

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><p>"Hisana! What did I tell you about following Byakuya-san around?" scolded a black and rainbow haired woman. She reached down and picked the toddler up. "He's a busy man," the older woman said to the young girl.<p>

"It is fine. I do not mind her presence," Byakuya said as he watched the pair. It was hard to look at them without picturing what could have been with his Hisana. He was still no closer to understanding why he had even agreed to help them at all. There were so many possibilities – maybe it was from the feelings brought forth by the mention of Hisana's name; maybe there had been something about the older one's expression; maybe it was a little bit of both. Looking at the older woman at that moment, he could still see that spark of determination mixed with pure adoration for the child in her arms.  
>Byakuya hadn't been the only one surprised by his actions. The other Shinigami been equally surprised. Kuchiki Byakuya was the Shinigami least likely to develop a soft spot for anyone of a lower station let alone a human. Somehow, though, he had ended up with three.<p>

"Still…"

"Hotaru, it is fine," he said again.

The woman's face lit up hearing him address her by her name. She had battled him every day about it. "Fine. Whatever. Don't say I didn't warn you when she becomes a nuisance," she conceded.

Byakuya offered her a faint smile.

Hotaru smirked at that. "I see that smile, you know. Careful or the others might think you've gone human on them," she teased.

"I am certain no one would believe you. They may doubt your sanity instead," he replied calmly.

"I do believe you are trying to crack a joke! I see we've been a good influence on you," laughed Hotaru. "Anyway, I should go find my other troublesome sibling," Hotaru said.

Byakuya gave a slight nod and stepped aside to let Hotaru and Hisana by him. "Hotaru?"

The young woman glanced over her shoulder. "Yeah?"  
>"You… may call upon me as well outside of our lunches if you ever need to," Byakuya offered hesitantly. "I know this situation is a … difficult one to adjust to," he added.<p>

"Thank you. I'll keep it in mind," Hotaru told him with a smile.

Byakuya nodded and they went their separate ways, one feeling confused and awkward and the other feeling extremely happy.


	3. Chapter 2

_**End of Days**_

**Disclaimer: **Bleach and its characters belong to Kubo Tite. Any OCs belong to me.

**Author's Note: **This chapter takes us back into the past a bit more. They're set up for the next chapter. Just be warned, much like the beloved characters of Game of Thrones, no one in Bleach is truly safe from me. I've been channeling my inner George R. R. Martin, please don't hate me. **  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Soul Society 2003<strong>

_"Run Nanao."_

_As she ran, those words haunted Ise Nanao. She was abandoning her taichou by following his command, which left her feeling conflicted more than anything. She should have ignored him. She should have stayed to help. She should turn back. She would go back._

_Ise Nanao was a fukutaichou and she would fight beside her taichou._

_She turned back the way she came, determined. She would stand or fall beside Kyouraku-taichou as she always had._

_She was too late._

_Nanao stopped, staring at the scene before her in disbelief and confusion. Ukitake-taichou laid at her feet in a pool of blood. The sight caused Nanao's resolve to falter. If Ukitake had fallen so easily, what hope did she have?_

_"There is no hope for you."_

_Those words sent a shiver of fear through Nanao. She tore her eyes away from the corpse at her feet only to find Aizen Sousuke standing across from her, only an arm's reach away. "You…!"_

_Aizen regarded the woman for a moment. "You were wasted on a man such as Kyouraku Shunsui. Come with me and your talents will only flourish," he said, offering Nanao his hand._

_The dark haired woman narrowed her eyes at her enemy. "Where is Kyouraku-soutaichou?" she demanded, ignoring the offered hand._

_"Right behind me," Aizen said, turning slightly and pointing with the same hand he had offered the woman._

_A strangled sort of sound escaped her lips and in an instant Nanao was on her knees next to her fallen taichou. The sight of Kyouraku Shunsui on the ground with one of his own swords in his chest was even more unbelievable than Ukitake dead in a pool of blood. Nanao looked down into Kyouraku's dead eyes, trembling. Rage and despair were the only things she could feel as she took in his face. Finally she tore her gaze away and gently closed his eyes._

_"Now you see fighting me is futile. Join me and live or die on your knees next to your worthless taichou," Aizen said from behind her._

_Nanao knew she could not defeat him but she didn't have to die on her knees either. She rose and grabbed the hilt of Kyouraku's sword. "I will not die on my knees! I am a fukutaichou, not some weak girl!"_

_"Another fool," Aizen replied. He began to approach Nanao, who continued to stand her ground. He would kill her just as quickly as he had killed Kyouraku and Ukitake._

_Nanao pulled the sword from Kyouraku's chest and held it shakily. She would do her best to avenge her taichou._

_An explosion ripped through an outer wall before Nanao or Aizen could engage one another. Nanao backed up, almost tripping over Kyouraku, while Aizen remained unaffected. It was almost as if he had anticipated the attack._

_"Looks like we're too late, Suì-Feng."_

_"Healing me took too long. You should have left me!"_

_"Shihouin Yoruichi, you seem to enjoy sticking your nose into my business," Aizen commented as he turned his gaze onto the two intruders._

_"Suì-Feng, get her out of here," Yoruichi instructed, ignoring Aizen for the moment. "I'll hold him off."_

_Suì-Feng made her way over to the stunned Nanao. "Come on, Ise-fukutaichou," she said, being oddly gentle. "Yoruichi-sama will be okay."_

_Nanao just nodded, not really understanding what was going on anymore. All her rage and despair had dissipated, making her feel suddenly fatigued. She allowed herself to be away by the smaller Shinigami woman._

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><p><strong>Karakura 2003<strong>

_"This is everyone, then?" Urahara Kisuke asked Shihouin Yoruichi and Suì-Feng._

_"Everyone we could get before Aizen figured out what we were doing," Suì-Feng answered grimly._

_"And the soutaichou?" Urahara asked, glancing over at Ise Nanao. Urahara frowned as he took in her state._

_"Aizen went for him first. She was the only one alive," Yoruichi answered softly._

_Urahara nodded, looking grave. Not many Shinigami were present at his shop. It gave him little hope at that moment._

_"Where's Ichigo?" Yoruichi asked, looking around the training area._

_"He went to find his family. What about Ishida Uryuu?" Urahara answered with another question._

_"He's probably in Karakura. I think he's smart enough to come here instead of loiter in Soul Society," answered Yoruichi._

_"You're right about that, Yoruichi-sama," Suì-Feng spoke up, pointing to the group that had just entered Urahara's underground training facility._

_Yoruichi and Urahara looked over, their eyes falling on Ichigo and Uryuu first._

_"Looks like everyone's here," Urahara said. Yoruichi and Suì-Feng both nodded. Along with Ichigo's merry band of misfits, a handful of Shinigami and the remaining Visoreds were present._

_"Tatsuki-chan!" Inoue Orihime exclaimed when she saw her friend among those who had entered with Ichigo._

_"What the hell is Quincy bastard doing here?!" growled a battered Madarame Ikkaku, Orihime's outburst drawing his attention to the group._

_With Ikkaku's outburst, all eyes were on Ichigo and Uryuu. It was safe to say the Shinigami were not pleased to see Uryuu._

_"He's with us," Ichigo said calmly._

_"He's a traitor!" Ikkaku growled._

_"He had his reasons," Ichigo told everyone._

_"It's okay, Kurosaki," Uryuu spoke up._

_"Let's hear his reasons before jumping to conclusions. Everyone here has the same enemy – Aizen Sousuke! Or have you forgotten that?!" bellowed Isshin, drawing everyone's attention to him. "This young man has just as much reason to want Yhwach dead as the rest of you! He went about it his own way." Isshin stepped in front of his son and Uryuu. "I owe him a huge debt, so anyone who wants to harm him has to go through me."_

_"Kurosaki-san… thank you," Uryuu said._

_"And just who are you anyway?" asked Ayasegawa Yumichika._

_"I'm the former tenth division taichou, Shiba Isshin."_

_E's my old man. He can be a little dramatic," Ichigo added, looking slightly annoyed._

_"Hey! You're ruining my cool entrance!" Isshin complained._

_"We don't have time for games!" Ichigo said, exasperated._

_"I'm afraid your son is right, Kurosaki-san," Urahara intervened. "Aizen has killed Kyouraku-soutaichou and Ukitake-taichou."_

_"He… what?!" Rukia gasped in shock._

_"That's impossible!" cried Yadoumaru Lisa, her eyes widening behind her glasses._

_"It's not."_

_Lisa turned to face Nanao, who was still clutching the sword she had pulled from Kyouraku's body. "Killed with Katen Kyoukotsu," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper._

_"If Kyouraku-soutaichou didn't stand a chance, then what makes you think we do?" Hisagi Shuuhei demanded._

_"Whether we stand a chance or not, we have to try. We're the only ones standing between Aizen and the rest of the world," Ryuuken said. "Isshin is right. Shinigami, Quincy, ordinary human – there is no difference between us right now."_

_"I think I can come up with a method to defeat Aizen with a bit of time," Urahara said nonchalantly._

_"The rest of us will be fighting whatever Aizen sends our way while you do that," Yoruichi said, glaring at everyone in the room._

_"For now, though, we have Inoue-san, Kotetsu-fukutaichou, and Yamada-san to help heal any injuries," Urahara informed everyone._

_"What about somewhere for people to rest?" Hisagi asked, glancing at Nanao._

_Urahara nodded, catching on to what Hisagi was getting at. "Of course. There is a room in the shop. Tessai can show you._

_Hisagi approached Nanao and led her off, speaking quietly to her._

_"Hitsugaya-taichou looks like he could use a room, too. He didn't even react to his former taichou," Suì-Feng said quietly to Urahara. The petite 2nd Division taichou had decided to put her grudge against Urahara aside for the time being._

_"Ah, it may be too late for that. Kurosaki-san has discovered Hitsugaya-taichou," Urahara said, speaking just as quietly as Suì-Feng. Both of them watched as Isshin approached the comatose looking Hitsugaya. They couldn't hear what Isshin was saying but they could tell it was more bad news being passed around. They watched Isshin's face crumple before he hugged Hitsugaya._

_"I bet they're talking about Matsumoto," Suì-Feng state._

_Urahara nodded. "Inoue-san told me about the scene she found him at."_

_"Can you really come up with a way to defeat Aizen?" the tiny taichou asked, looking up at Urahara._

_The blond former taichou looked down at Suì-Feng with a grim but determined look. "I sure as hell hope so."_

* * *

><p><strong>London, England 2005<strong>

_It was another rainy day in London. Hirako Shinji sat in a small coffee shop and watched the rain fall. London showed signs of damage caused by Aizen thought it was nowhere near as bad as Karakura. Most of the places Shinji and the Visoreds had travelled to were better off than Karakura. Aizen knew his enemies would gather there. That was one of the many reasons the Visoreds had decided to leave. They had travelled over most of Europe, never staying in one place for too long. Until they had reached London. They had been in London for almost three months. Something about the city just seemed to resonate with Shinji._

_"Hirako-taichou?"_

_Shinji blinked and looked away from the window. "Hinamori? What are you doing here?"_

_Hinamori Momo, Shinji's fukutaichou, just smiled and held up a paper bag and a travel mug. "I like the food and tea here," she admitted._

_"Yeah, food's pretty decent," agreed Shinji._

_"Is something on your mind?" Momo asked. She set her food and drink down on Shinji's table and pulled out the chair across from him._

_"Just thinking that I like this place," Shinji said as Momo sat down. "It's resilient. Kinda like us."_

_"I suppose so. I prefer the Seireitei myself, but I think London will do until we can go back," Momo confessed. She reached up and played with a stray lock of her black hair. She had let her hair grow longer than she'd ever worn it in the past though she wasn't sure if she liked it or not._

_"You know, I don't think I ever told ya how much I like your hair that length," Shinji told Momo as he watched her play with her hair._

_Momo blushed faintly. "You're not going to tell me I'm your first love again, are you?"_

_Shinji smiled at Momo – a genuine smile – and reached over to ruffle her hair playfully. "Nah. Just wanted to compliment ya."_

_"Thank you, Taichou," Momo said with a smile._

_"C'mon. I bet the others are wondering where we are."_

_"Actually, everyone left the house before me," Momo informed Shinji._

_"Let's go have some fun, then, Hinamori," suggested Shinji._

_"In the rain? What if there's an attack?" Momo asked quickly._

_"We'll deal with 'what ifs' when they actually happen. Gotta have fun sometimes," Shinji told his fukutaichou as he stood up._

_"I know that!" Momo exclaimed as she rose to her feet as well._

* * *

><p><strong>Karakura 2005<strong>

_"Maybe we should think about leaving, like the Quincy and Hirako-taichou's group," Yumichika suggested to Hisagi and Ikkaku. Karakura had been going through a quiet spell and Yumichika was growing restless. He knew Ikkaku was as well._

_"And go where?" Ikkaku asked._

_"Anywhere. This world is pretty big," was Yumichika's reply._

_"I'll go if Nanao will go," Hisagi told Yumichika, who nodded. Hisagi and Nanao had quite grown close during the few years they had been hiding in Karakura._

_"That would be to our advantage. Ise is formidable and scary in a hot kind of way," Ikkaku pointed out._

_"Don't talk about her like that!" Hisagi growled warningly._

_"Strong women are sexy," Ikkaku stated with a shrug._

_"I think we should recruit Kotetsu, too," Yumichika suggested, hoping to keep Hisagi and Ikkaku from arguing. "Her healing abilities would be an asset."_

_"Keh. Fine," Ikkaku agreed, though he was a bit reluctant to do so. He couldn't argue with Yumichika's logic but he didn't have to like it. Ikkaku didn't know how well the 4th Division's fukutaichou could hold her own in a serious fight and it worried him._

_"I'll talk to her while Hisagi talks to Ise," Yumichika said to Ikkaku and Hisagi, who nodded in agreement._


	4. Chapter 3

_**End of Days**_

**Disclaimer: **Bleach and its characters belong to Kubo Tite. Any OCs belong to me.

**Author's Note:** Here's this week's update! It's a bit shorter this week. It is also a nod to my second set of Bleach drabbles (#77, which started the idea for the fic). And with that, the shameless self-promotion is done. Now comes the bad news - due to a paper and presentation I have coming up, there will be no update next week. The good news is, though, that post delays won't be frequent.

* * *

><p><strong>Karakura 2004<strong>

_ Yuzu walked down the hall to the room she shared with her father and siblings. She had spent the last hour training by herself. She felt rather accomplished and couldn't wait to share it with her family. As the only Kurosaki who could use her abilities, Yuzu felt special. She had come so far in the last year that she finally felt like she was on equal footing with her siblings. It made her feel light and happy._

_ When she reached the door to the Kurosaki living quarters, Yuzu stopped outside it. She could hear voices from inside, most of which didn't belong to her family._

_ "We need to do this Isshin. We need to find more of our own kind," came the voice of Ishida Ryuuken through the door._

_ "You don't know that there are any like our kids left, Ryuuken," came Isshin's reply._

_ Yuzu frowned and opened the door, causing the conversation to stop abruptly. "What's going on?" she demanded, noticing that Uryuu and Urahara Kisuke were also present._

_ "It's nothing, Yuzu-chan! Daddy was just talking strategy!" Isshin exclaimed quickly. Despite her training, Isshin couldn't help being especially protective of Yuzu._

_ "Must you lie to the girl? She's not as ignorant as you like to pretend," the older Ishida aid, his annoyance with Isshin obvious._

_ "She's my child, not yours Ryuuken!" Isshin shot back._

_ "Reminds you of another Shinigami-Quincy friendship, doesn't it Yuzu-san?" Urahara commented._

_ "What are you implying Urahara-san?" Uryuu asked._

_ "Nothing, nothing," Urahara replied, waving his fan at Uryuu. _

_ "What's going on Ishida-kun?" Yuzu asked Uryuu._

_ Uryuu glanced over at their bickering fathers and sighed. "We're going to leave to see if Yhwach left any other children with Quincy blood alive, Yuzu. We're leaving tonight," he informed her honestly, watching as the look of confusion turned to one of grim realization on the young girl's face._

_ "Why did you tell her?" Isshin snapped._

_ "She's a Quincy and deserves our honesty," Ryuuken answered for his son._

_ "She's my little girl!"_

_ "Ishida-san is right, I'm a Quincy too," Yuzu spoke up. "I want to go too. Let me help, Ishida-san, Ishida-kun," she added pleadingly._

_ "Yuzu, no! You're still new to this world!" Isshin said._

_ "You and Ichi-nii-san and Karin-chan can't always be the ones who save people! And who will train me if Ishida-kun is gone?" Yuzu asked her father._

_ "She does make a valid point. A cavern filled with Shinigami is no place for a Quincy-in-training," Urahara spoke up, playing the devil's advocate in Yuzu's favour. However, a glare from Isshin made Urahara go quiet._

_ "I will allow you to come," Ryuuken said as he stood up to leave._

_ "Ryuuken! She isn't Masaki!"_

_ Ryuuken glared down at Isshin. "As Masaki's daughter, she deserves to make her own choice just as Masaki made hers."_

_ Isshin stood and looked Ryuuken in the eye. "You better protect her with your life, Ryuuken."_

_ "You have my word, Isshin."_

* * *

><p><strong>Japan 2008<strong>

"I think it's time to get moving again," Ishida Uryuu said.

"Are you sure it's wise? We've only been resting for a couple hours," his father, Ryuuken, replied. The two bespectacled men stared long and hard at each other. Both were stubborn and refused to listen to the other without some sort of argument occurring.

"We need to get back to Karakura," Uryuu insisted. "We've waited too long as it is."

"Waiting was the best idea. It still is considering Yuzu's condition," Ryuuken fired back.

"She's pregnant, not dying!" Uryuu exclaimed, exasperated.

"Exactly! It is safer to take our time! You forget I know a lot more about these things than you do," Ryuuken said condescendingly.

Uryuu narrowed his eyes at his father. He opened his mouth to reply and closed it immediately as Kurosaki Yuzu walked into the room. Even Ryuuken remained silent.

"I could hear you two fighting from upstairs," the eighteen year old Yuzu said. She looked from Uryuu to Ryuuken. "Shouldn't we all be involved in making this decision?" she asked them gently. Her voice held no traces of anger or annoyance as she addressed the two Quincy men. Instead, she was the voice of reason.

"Of course you have a say in this decision. We just want to do what is best for you and the baby," Ryuuken assured Yuzu.

The strawberry haired girl smiled at Ryuuken. "I know and I appreciate it," she told him before she turned to face Uryuu. "I think you're both right," she told her boyfriend.

"You… what?" Uryuu asked, surprised.

"Yes, it's important to return to Karin-chan and everyone else as fast as we can," Yuzu told him. "But I think we all could do with more rest. Travelling is taking its toll on all of us. Even you, Uryuu."

The dark haired man watched Yuzu carefully for a moment. She did have a valid point. He could tell just by looking at her that she was starting to get worn out faster than usual. He also couldn't deny that he was starting to feel it, too.

"We'll do what works best for you, then," Uryuu said. "Because you always know what's best for everyone."

"Good. Now who wants dinner? I'll make us something amazing!" Yuzu asked, promptly changing the subject on the Ishida men.

"Sure, dinner sounds great," Uryuu said, conceding defeat.

Yuzu beamed at him before slipping off into the kitchen.

"That girl is so much like her mother," Ryuuken said when Yuzu was gone.

"No wonder she has you under her thumb," Uryuu muttered under his breath.

Ryuuken ignored his son's snide comment. "Cheerful and strong. She's come a long way thanks to you."

"Thanks," Uryuu said, surprised. He looked at his father briefly before following Yuzu into the kitchen. He had had a strained relationship with his father for such a long time that Uryuu didn't really know how to take the rare moments of praised he received from Ryuuken.

Instead, Uryuu opted to watch his girlfriend from the kitchen door. Yuzu's presence was calming and reassuring. She was his hope, his strength. He would do everything possible to protect her.

"Uryuu, you're staring," Yuzu said as she worked on prepping their dinner.

"Sorry," he murmured before moving over to her.

"What's on your mind?" she asked as she began to wash some rice.

"Us, our future," Uryuu replied as he stopped behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"All good things, I hope," she said as she leaned into Uryuu.

"Always." Uryuu placed his hands lightly on Yuzu's growing belly. "If we can defeat Aizen…"

"When, not if," Yuzu corrected Uryuu. She had complete and unshakable faith in not just Uryuu but her brother and father as well.

Uryuu kissed the top of Yuzu's head. "Thank you for always believing in me," he said softly into her strawberry hair.

"Thank you for believing in me," Yuzu replied.

"I love you, Kurosaki Yuzu," Uryuu declared. Though he couldn't see her face Uryuu knew Yuzu was grinning from ear to ear.

"I love you, too, Ishida Uryuu."


	5. Chapter 4

_**End of Days**_

**Disclaimer: **Bleach and its characters belong to Kubo Tite. Any OCs belong to me.

**Author's Note:** This week's update is early. Due to the sudden passing of my uncle this afternoon, I am unsure of what the rest of the week holds. Instead of skipping the week, I opted for an early update. This week brings some more OoC-ness in some of the characters, for which I will logically explain now - it's been five years and people change. Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Karakura (2008, Several Days Later)<strong>

"Orihime-san! Might I have a word with you?" Urahara Kisuke asked as he approached the busty woman. Several days had passed since Urahara had sent Rukia and Renji to snap Ichigo out of his funk.

"What is it Urahara-san?" Inoue Orihime asked after she had answered her door.

Urahara smiled pleasantly at her. "I was hoping you would assist me for a while," he admitted.

Orihime eye him curiously. Though he was smiling, Orihime knew it didn't reach his eyes despite them being shaded by his bucket hat. "With what?"

Urahara stepped into her room and closed the door behind him. "I have a theory regarding your abilities I'd like to look into testing," Urahara answered, all seriousness now that he and Orihime were alone.

"I see," was all Orihime said.

Urahara continued, "I think it could be the way to defeat Aizen once and for all. I want you to work with me. Just us."

Orihime stood in silence, allowing all that he said to sink in. "No one else?"

Urahara nodded. "The less people who know, the less false hope they are given."

"I suppose I can help you out," Orihime finally agreed.

Urahara smiled again. "Wonderful, wonderful! Thank you, Orihime-san!"

Orihime nodded and moved to open her door so she could show Urahara out. Once her door was open, she could hear the sounds of a big commotion coming down the hall from the haven's main gathering space.

"My, my, everyone sounds so lively out there!" Urahara said as he snapped his fan open.

"Maybe Yoruichi-san is back?" suggested Orihime.

"Shall we go see?"Orihime nodded and led the way down the hall. The noise got louder with every step they took towards it.

"Put me down! You can't do this!"

"Please let Gin-chan go!"

"Stop squirming or I'll drop you on your head!"

Orihime gave Urahara a wide eyed look. She recognized all three voices though she thought it couldn't be possible. Two of the speakers had died a long time ago. She dashed the rest of the way down the hall, leaving Urahara behind. She entered the open gathering space and almost ran into Byakuya and the oldest of the trio he had rescued. "Kuchiki-taichou, Hotaru-chan, what's going on?" Orihime asked them quietly.

"Hitsugaya-san came back with two children and everyone seems to be on edge," Hotaru replied when Byakuya failed to. She then stepped aside to let Orihime by.

Orihime brushed by Hotaru and stopped. She could not believe what she was seeing. Hitsugaya Toushirou stood with a child on either side of him – one with silver hair that Orihime noticed Hitsugaya was carrying like an American football. The other was a girl with shoulder length red hair. Both were young, likely the same age as Hotaru's younger brother.

"Please Jii-san you have to let Gin-chan go!" the girl begged, looking at Hitsugaya with big, pleading blue eyes.

Hitsugaya looked down at the girl and his stern, annoyed look faltered slightly. He was looking into a younger version of a face he had looked up into countless times before. Now he towered over her, having grown at least a foot over the past five years.

The silver haired boy twisted and sank his teeth into Hitsugaya's arm while the Shinigami was distracted.

The white haired Shinigami growled and dropped the silver haired boy. "You bit me! You little…!"

The girl ran over to the fallen boy and wrapped her arms around him. "I wanna go home, Gin-chan!" she sniffled and buried her face into his shoulder.

"Dontcha worry, Ran-chan," he said soothingly.

Orihime felt her heart melt slightly at the sight of the two children. Even if seeing the little boy made her think about her time in Hueco Mundo, she couldn't hold it against him. "What… what are your names?" she asked, approaching them.

"I'm Kanasawa Gin," the silver haired boy said. "And this is Ran," he added, patting the red haired girl on the head.

"Where are your parents?" Orihime asked gently.

"Mine are dead," Gin answered. "Dunno about Ran-chan's. I found her in a park all alone."

"That's horrible!" Hotaru exclaimed from behind Hotaru.

"Where did you find them Toushirou?" Ichigo asked.

Orihime turned, noticing for the first time that all the Shinigami were in the cavernous room. "And why were you carrying Gin like a ball?" she asked since Ichigo had asked the initial question on her mind.

Hitsugaya ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I was on patrol and I saw… Ran… sitting alone in the park. I thought I was rescuing her when that little monster came at me from behind," he said, feeling embarrassed that he had been caught off guard by a little kid. "I should have went without my gigai," he muttered.

"They can be problematic at times," Byakuya said in agreement.

"But they are part of the reason we're safe here," Urahara spoke up from the door that Orihime had run through by herself. Once of the first things Urahara Kisuke had done after creating his underground haven was produce new gigai that masked the reiatsu of the Shinigami staying there. The gigai along with wards around the haven kept them and their location hidden from Aizen and his minions.

"I ain't letting anyone take Ran-chan from me! She needs me!" Gin yelled, bringing everyone's attention back to him and Ran.

"I want my Gin-chan!" Ran piped up.

"No one's going to separate you two," Hotaru said reassuringly.

"He could not possibly be allowed to remain here," Byakuya said, eyeing Gin warily.

"He's just a baby!" Hotaru said sharply, glaring at Byakuya.

"He is… was someone who did horrible things in Soul Society," Orihime said softly to Hotaru. She felt sorry for the dark haired woman. There were so many things they hadn't told Hotaru about regarding what was going on in the world or the events leading up to it.

"I don't know what you're talking about but Ran-chan and I are gonna leave," Gin spoke up.

"We should let them stay. He may be Ichimaru reincarnated, but if he stays here Aizen can't get him again," Rukia said, glancing from Orihime to Byakuya.

"Rukia-chan does have a point," admitted Orihime.

"I guess," Hitsugaya muttered.

"Then it's settled! We have two more children," Urahara said as he snapped his fan shut.

"Where do you plan to put them? They cannot stay in a room by themselves," Byakuya asked Urahara.

"They can stay with me," Orihime offered even though she was a bit wary about the idea.

"Are you sure?" Urahara asked her.

Orihime nodded. "I am."

"You better not give Inoue a hard time, you little monster," Hitsugaya snapped at Gin.

"Gin-chan's not a monster! Be nice to Gin-chan, Jii-san!" Ran demanded, glaring up at Hitsugaya.

Hitsugaya sighed and relented. "Fine, he's not a monster."

"If you make Ran-chan cry again, I will be one," Gin threatened. For a child he was incredibly serious and eloquent, which only served to remind the Shinigami present of the deceased Ichimaru Gin.

"Maybe Gin and Ran would like to play with Kohaku," Hotaru spoke up, hoping to distract the children.

"Let's go play, Gin-chan!" Ran exclaimed.

"Sure, Ran-chan," Gin agreed.

"C'mon, Kohaku has some really cool toys," the dark haired woman said, motioning for Gin and Ran to follow her. "Then afterwards I'll show you where Orihime-san's room is. She's really very nice and…." Hotaru continued as she and the two children disappeared down a hallway.

When they were gone, the Shinigami all looked at each other. A mix of emotions ran through the group from confusion to trepidation.

"Well, this certainly is an interesting turn of events," Urahara said, breaking what he deemed an awkward silence.

"I've never seen a Shinigami reborn in this world before," Rukia said.

"It's creepy," Renji added.

"It's the circle of life and death. Humans die and go to Soul Society. Souls from Soul Society get reborn as humans. It helps keep things balanced," Urahara explained.

"Aizen ruined the balance though," Ichigo interjected.

"Yes, he did. But death and rebirth don't stop," Urahara answered.

"Things will continue to stay unbalance until everything is destroyed. This is why we must kill Aizen," Hitsugaya added, giving Urahara an icy look.

"Yes, yes, but it takes time to kill someone who is immortal," Urahara told the young taichou, unaffected by the glare.

"If Aizen is immortal he can't be killed!" Ichigo said, sounding exasperated.

Urahara just smiled and opened his fan again. "Wrong, Kurosaki-san. It just means he is harder to kill."

* * *

><p>Hitsugaya sat outside the haven in his gigai and some warm clothes later that evening. The sun was beginning to set a cool breeze fluttered through his white hair. The nights were growing chillier with each passing day but the young Shinigami didn't really mind it. The cold didn't bother him like it did normal people. Instead, it made him feel a little better after all that had happened during the day. He definitely needed some time to himself to think. Despite there being more reminders of Aizen thanks to the partial destruction of parts of Karakura, outside was still the quieter option. Some areas, such as the former Kurosaki clinic, were in such bad shape that Hitsugaya was reminded of the destruction that had fallen upon the Seireitei. He and other Shinigami had stayed and fought as long as they could against Aizen that day. Unfortunately, just as many Shinigami had ended up joining Aizen's cause as those who had died fighting against it. His fukutaichou, Matsumoto Rangiku, had been among the ones to lose their lives.<p>

Hitsugaya had not been with Matsumoto at the time. Rather, they had agreed to split up instead. Matsumoto and her team had been ambushed thanks to a betrayal by one of their division members. When he had felt her reiatsu vanish, Hitsugaya had raced off to find her. Thinking about that moment made his stomach turn even years after the fact. He had found her Haineko first, her hand still clutching the zanpkautou's hilt. He had then found the rest of her scattered around the area. There had been so much blood on the ground he had almost slipped in it.

Hitsugaya didn't remember much else from that day. He wasn't even sure how he had made it to Karakura. He had never bothered to ask anyone after the fact. He likely never would. Instead he focused on surviving each day as best as he could. The desire to avenge Matsumoto's death drove him forward. Losing Matsumoto had been his breaking point, leaving Hitsugaya's heart frozen solid.

"Hitsugaya-taichou?"

Hitsugaya came back to reality rather quickly at the sound of his name. He turned and glanced at the woman behind him, his chest tightening at the sight of her. Inoue Orihime sometimes reminded him of Matsumoto even though their hair colour and bust size were the only things they had physically in common.

"Are you okay?" Orihime asked as she approached him.

Hitsugaya nodded a bit.

Orihime frowned but said nothing. She didn't want to upset him more.

"Are you okay Inoue?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?" the red head asked, confused.

"Because of those two kids staying with you…."

"Oh," was all Orihime said. Then she shrugged. "I guess I don't really have any bad experiences with Ichimaru other than finding him creepy."

"Ah," was Hitsugaya's reply.

Orihime nodded as she sat next to Hitsugaya. "I know he caused you and Hinamori and Rangiku-san lots of pain. And Rangiku-san and I did keep in touch, so I know why he did what he did."

"To avenge Matsumoto," Hitsugaya said.

Orihime nodded. "Because he cared for her and she cared for him. Now they're getting a second chance. We can keep Aizen from ruining this one for them," she said, trying to explain her feelings on the situation. She wasn't sure if she was doing a very good job.

"What's your point, Inoue?" demanded Hitsugaya. The white haired Shinigami glared at the busty woman, finally tall enough to look her in the eye.

"We all get a second chance with Rangiku-san. You, me, Ichimaru. We get to make new memories and make sure Aizen never separates her from her precious loved ones again!"

Hitsugaya regarded Orihime thoughtfully for a moment. Her words did make sense. And they sounded amazing to him, full of promise and hope. Hope, a feeling Hitsugaya Toushirou hadn't felt in a long time. Hope could be a dangerous thing, though. Hitsugaya wasn't sure if he could open himself up to feeling any sort of hope. He didn't think he could take his hope being destroyed again.

"It'll be hard but I think Rangiku-san would want you to be happy," Orihime added softly.

"I know that!" Hitsugaya snapped. When he saw the hurt in Orihime's eyes, his expression softened. "I'm sorry. It's just…," he started, running a hand through his snowy hair. "It's really hard to deal with, Inoue."

Orihime smiled gently and pulled Hitsugaya into a hug. "I know it is."

Hitsugaya leaned into Orihime and did something he hadn't done in a long time – he cried.

* * *

><p><strong>Canada (2008)<strong>

"It's too cold for this shit!" Ikkaku growled as je paced back and forth across the wooden floors of the cabin he and his companions were staying in. "Why did we have to come here?!"

"Please calm down Ikkaku-san! And please stop pacing like that! You'll reopen your wound!" Kotetsu Isane pleaded. She stood a few feet from where the hairless Shinigami was pacing.

Ikkaku glowered but stopped pacing.

"Enough Madarame," Nanao said as she entered the room. "You know exactly why we're here."

Ikkaku turned away from Nanao and Isane, still feeling annoyed. The five of them had been ambushed by a group of Arrancar and although the Shinigami had won, both Yumichika and Hisagi had been badly injured. Ikkaku had made it out with mostly small wounds thanks to Isane. He glanced over his shoulder at the tall woman with newfound respect.

"How is Hisagi-san doing?" he heard Isane ask Nanao.

"He's finally asleep. Thank you, Isane, for saving him," Nanao said softly.

"Ise," Ikkaku said, turning to face both women again. "Did you let Kotetsu heal you yet?"

"I'm fine," Nanao snapped.

"I saw that Arrancar land a hit on you! You aren't fine! Stop being so reckless!" Ikkaku snapped back.

Nanao narrowed her eyes. "That's the pot calling the kettle black! You're the most reckless person here!" Nanao pointed out.

"I don't have some kind of death wish! You trying to die to be back with Kyouraku?!" Ikkaku demanded.

Isane gasped softly, surprised, while Nanao went pale. "Ikkaku-san, that's enough," Isane said.

"You know nothing about that!" Nanao hissed.

"You're not the only person here with a dead taichou, Ise!" Ikkaku said, his voice low. "None of us have our taichou."

"Why don't we go to another room and fix you up, Nanao," offered Isane, hoping to keep a fight from breaking out.

"Do you think Hisagi would be okay knowing you're trying to throw your life away?! Or Kyouraku-soutaichou?!" Ikkaku continued.

"If I hadn't run, they could both be alive right now!" Nanao insisted angrily.

"You're really stupid for a smart woman. Aizen would have killed you too!" Ikkaku said matter-of-factly. He sighed when he saw the tears streaming down Nanao's face. "It's fine to mourn them and to want to avenge them but for the sake of everyone here, don't throw your life away to do it. You're still needed, Nanao," he added, speaking in an uncharacteristically gentle manner.

"Ikkaku-san is right. We still need you to win his war," agreed Isane, eyeing Ikkaku. He was not the only one whose opinion was changing. Isane definitely found a new respect for the bald man.

"Fine, Isane. I'll let you heal me," Nanao said to Isane as her tears started to slow.

"Thank you," Isane said, relieved that they had hopefully gotten through to Nanao. "Ikkaku-san, can you leave the room please?"

"Sure, Kotetsu," Ikkaku said. "I'll go check on Yumichika," he added before leaving the room.

"Isane?" Nanao said softly.

"Hmm?"

Nanao looked up at the taller woman as Isane approached her. "I'm sorry."

Isane just shook her head. "Don't be. I understand your loss. Unohana-taichou was like a mother to me," she said as she set to work on Nanao. "Just remember him as he was when he was alive. Don't dwell on anything after that."

"I can still see them so vividly when I close my eyes," confessed Nanao.

"Sometimes I dream I'm back at the moment Zaraki-taichou told me about Unohana-taichou," Isane confided. "Then I start dreaming up all kinds of horrible ways for her to have died."

"I'm so sorry, Isane. If Kyouraku-soutaichou hadn't requested it–"

"Then we would likely be a lot worse off," Isane interrupted. "Zaraki-taichou needed to be trained and Unohana-taichou was the only one who could do it." Isane crouched down in front of Nanao. "I made peace with this already. The thing I have trouble with is her sacrifice being for nothing. Zaraki-taichou is dead too. Kyouraku-soutaichou and Ukitake-taichou sacrificed their lives for you and for all of us here. If we give up, theirs would be for nothing too."

Nanao sat in silence for the next little bit while Isane did her work. She thought about what her fellow fukutaichou had just said. Nanao didn't think she was ready to make peace with Kyouraku's just yet. She still had far too many regrets to be at peace.

"All done," Isane finally announced.

Nanao nodded a bit. "Thanks."

"Do you need anything else Nanao?" Isane asked.

"No, thank you. You're a good friend, Isane," Nanao answered.

"All right." Isane rose to her feet and stretched. "I'll be in my room if you need anything. You should get some rest, too," Isane added before leaving the living room. She was certain Nanao would talk when she was ready but Isane hated seeing people in pain. It went against her very nature not to help those who needed it. She sighed and walked into her room, where she stopped and blinked. Ikkaku was lying on her bed with his arms folded beneath his head.

"Um… I think I have the wrong room," she said quickly and began backing up.

"Nah. I was waiting for you," Ikkaku replied without moving.

"You were waiting for me?" Isane sounded just a bit confused.

Ikkaku sat up. "To thank you for patching up Yumichika.

"Oh. How is he doing now?"

"Probably better than Ise."

Isane sighed softly. "I feel awful for her. I think she loved him," she said.

"Yeah, that was obvious," agreed Ikkaku.

"I wish I could do more to help her," Isane said as she finally made her way into the room and over to the bed. She sat down next to Ikkaku.

"Do you ever stop to think about yourself?" Ikkaku asked her, changing the subject.

"Of course I do. I like helping people, though," Isane replied.

Ikkaku glanced over at Isane quietly. He never really had much to do with her outside of her duties in the Fourth Division. To him, Isane was his opposite. He had never given her a second glance before that day. Even during their travels since leaving Karakura he hadn't really given her much thought. Ikkaku frowned and looked at the floor. He had almost died that morning. The tall silver haired woman was the main reason he was still alive and he had underestimated her for so long.

"How are you feeling, Ikkaku-san?" Isane asked while Ikkaku sat lost in thought.

"Kotetsu," Isane said, suddenly turning to look her in the eye.

"Yes?"

"Thanks for saving my ass today. You've got some skills after all," he told her.

Isane blinked and flushed faintly. "Um… thanks?" she mumbled, unsure if Ikkaku was being genuine or not. The 11th Division had never been known for its kindness, especially where the 4th Division was concerned. But then, Isane had seen a whole other side to Ikkaku over the course of the day.

"We should work on your fighting technique, though. Maybe get you to the same level as me and Yumichika," Ikkaku continued, oblivious to Isane's uncertainty.

"Huh? You want to train me to fight like you?" Isane echoed him.

"Sure. We all need to be on the same level if we're going to survive and we both know the fourth division wasn't known for fighting," replied Ikkaku.

"I can fight just fine! I'm a fukutaichou after all!" Isane protested.

Ikkaku just raised an eyebrow at Isane. "Sure, but being a fukutaichou doesn't mean much. Yumichika and I are both lower seats than you," he pointed out to her.

"Being strong isn't just about brute strength!" insisted Isane.

"Whatever you say, Kotetsu," Ikkaku said before standing up. "When you change your mind, come find us."

"Only if you let me teach you some kidou!" Isane called when Ikkaku had reached the door.

Ikkaku stopped and looked back at her. "Fine, let's see if you can," he replied with a devilish grin. He knew she had been expecting him to decline simply because he was from the 11th Division. Under normal circumstances, he likely would have said "no".

"What…?" Isane said, shocked.

Ikkaku just chuckled and left the room, leaving Isane to dwell on their conversation.


	6. Chapter 5

_**End of Days**_

**Disclaimer: **Bleach and its characters belong to Kubo Tite. Any OCs belong to me.

**Author's Note: **A slight shift in scenes again. I know it probably feels jumpy with all the flashbacks, but they are coming to an end.

* * *

><p><strong>Karakura 2007<strong>

_ "I think it may be time to call our travelling companions home, Yoruichi-san," Urahara said randomly one warm July day. He and Yoruichi were sitting together in his workspace, enjoying tea together. It was something of a habit of theirs. No one bothered them at tea time, including Suì-Feng._

_ "Does this mean you're close Kisuke?" Yoruichi asked her long-time companion._

_ "Maybe. I have a couple of theories to try even if I'm not," Urahara answered. "I just think we need to face Aizen with as many of us as possible."_

_ "Obviously! Who knows how big Aizen's army is now! It would be suicide to face him head on without an army of our own!"_

_ "I trust you and Suì-Feng can handle it?" Urahara asked even though he knew the answer._

_ "Do you even have to ask?" scoffed Yoruichi._

_ Urahara shook his head, smiling. "I suppose not."_

_ "We'll take anyone who wants to come with us," Yoruichi added._

_ "How many people do you think that may be?" Urahara asked curiously._

_ Yoruichi shrugged. "Not many. Everyone seems preoccupied lately."_

_ "Kurosaki… I mean Shiba-san has been occupied since Kuukaku-san and her brother finally arrived but you might be able to convince him," mused Urahara._

_ "Possibly. Byakuya-bou would be an asset," Yoruichi mused as well._

_ Urahara chuckled. "He's pretty busy pretending he isn't playing the doting father to those two babies he found."_

_ "And walking around looking confused about their sister!" Yoruichi snorted._

_ "You'd think he'd never seen a woman before," laughed Urahara._

_ "The poor kid. Maybe I should tell him what men and women are supposed to do," suggested Yoruichi._

_ "I think you'd scare him to death that way," Urahara told Yoruichi with a laugh._

_ "Boys these days," Yoruichi said, shaking her head. "They don't know how to have any fun."_

_ "Not everyone is like us, Yoruichi-san," Urahara reminded her._

_ "I know, I know," Yoruichi replied. She looked thoughtful for a moment._

_ Urahara watched her. "You have someone in mind?" he asked._

_ "Sado."_

_ Urahara nodded in agreement. "He is a good choice. I'm sure Sado-san would be willing to help you and Suì-Feng."_

_ "Well, that's that," Yoruichi said as she stood up. "Suì-Feng, did you hear all that?" Yoruichi shouted at the closed door. She smiled at the sounds of someone stumbling outside the door. Yoruichi walked over to the door and slid it open._

_ "Forgive me, Yoruichi-sama!" Suì-Feng exclaimed from the floor, her face crimson._

_ "You dirty girl, hoping to catch me and Kisuke in the act weren't you?" the purple haired woman asked with a wicked look on her face._

_ "We would have let you join in if you had asked!" Urahara called from where he was sitting._

_ Suì-Feng was on her feet in an instant. She looked around Yoruichi to glare at Urahara. "You can go to hell, Urahara!" she yelled._

_ Yoruichi howled with laughter._

* * *

><p><strong>Paris, France 2008<strong>

Shinji walked through the streets of Paris, his hands in his pockets. Though it was early autumn there were still quite a few people out and about, touring the city. And despite everything happening in the world, Paris seemed to be in its own little world. It seemed largely untouched by Aizen and his followers. For Shinji, it was a much needed escape. He had been seeking an escape since London. Initially he had found solace in the French country side. Eventually, though, Shinji had found his way to Paris. He had needed to be on his own for a while.

Since his fukutaichou had been killed, Shinji had been in an odd state. She had thrown herself between Shinji and a surprise Arrancar attack. It had hit him harder than any loss before ever had. Hinamori had been a sweet and selfless girl. She had stood by him since the day he had returned to the Gotei 13's 5th Division. They had shared a unique bond due to their experiences with Aizen Sousuke. It had been Shinji's idea for the two of them to go off and have a carefree day. He felt responsible for her death. If he hadn't convinced her to have fun she might still be alive.

"I thought I might find you here," came a voice from behind Shinji.

The blond haired man stopped in his tracks, pulled back to the present. "Whatcha doing in this part of the world?" he inquired without turning around.

"Kisuke sent me. It's time to go back to Karakura."

Shinji's eyes widened slightly as spun around. He came face-to-face with Yoruichi. "He's found a way to defeat Aizen?"

"He thought he was close when I left him. It's taken us a year to find you," Yoruichi answered.

"'Us'?"

Yoruichi nodded. "Sado and Suì-Feng. They're with Hiyori and the others." Shinji gave a bit of a nod in reply and Yoruichi continued, "They told us about London."

"I got careless in London. Comfortable," he said.

"There's nothing wrong with trying to make a home. But this is war and people die in wars," Yoruichi reminded him. "We won't win if we don't fight together."

"You found the Quincy too?" Shinji asked.

Yoruichi nodded. "They were easy to find. You're the pain in the ass that kept moving," she said.

"We too fast for the legendary Yoruichi?" Shinji teased.

Yoruichi snorted. "Hardly."

"I assume you heard a thing or two during your travels," Shinji said, suddenly serious once more.

Yoruichi nodded grimly. She had seen and heard some disturbing things during their time searching for the Visoreds. "Aizen has been up to some interesting activities in Soul Society and Hueco Mundo."

"I hope Kisuke is ready with whatever he has up his sleeves."

"I've kept in touch as much as I could with him."

"Have you heard anything about Mashiro?"

Yoruichi shook her head. "Nothing."

Kuna Mashiro was the only Visored unaccounted for. She had been missing since the second wave of Quincy attacks on the Seireitei. Shinji had questioned Hisagi about her but the 9th Division fukutaichou hadn't known any more than Shinji. Shinji was uneasy about the situation. Mashiro was strong but impulsive. In terms of brute strength she was easily on par with the high ranking members of the 11th Division. She was a good ally to have, which meant she would be one hell of an enemy. Shinji knew she would never willingly join Aizen but he also knew how cunning Aizen could be.

"I bet she's fine," Yoruichi said even though her thoughts were similar to Shinji's.

"Knowing Mashiro, she's probably hiding under Aizen's nose," Shinji added in agreement.

* * *

><p>"There you are Baldy! What the hell took you so long?" Sarugaki Hiyori demanded when Shinji and Yoruichi walked into the modest home the Visoreds had moved into.<p>

"Your scary face kept me away," the blond man answered seriously.

"You bastard!" Hiyori growled, kicking him.

"Welcome back, Yoruichi-sama," Suì-Feng said, joining Yoruichi.

"Did you manage to get any leads on Madarame and the others?" Yoruichi asked her former subordinate.

"Sado thinks they're somewhere in North America. He's been checking news reports on the computer," Suì-Feng replied eagerly. The petite Shinigami would always be eager to please Yoruichi regardless of what had happened between them.

Yoruichi nodded and quickly dodged a flying sandal that sailed by her.

"Shouldn't we stop those two?" Suì-Feng asked, motioning to the still arguing Hiyori and Shinji.

Yoruichi shook her head. "I want to see what Sado found. I need to contact Kisuke, too," the violet haired woman said.

Suì-Feng nodded but sent a fierce glare at Shinji, who had Hiyori's cheeks pinched and stretched out.

Hiyori kicked Shinji again, causing the taller Visored to release her face. "Idiot," she grumbled.

"You're both idiots," Suì-Feng told them before she followed Yoruichi away from the blond Visoreds.

"Thanks Hiyori," Shinji said softly when Suì-Feng and Yoruichi were out of sight.

"Just stop wandering off. You're starting to act like Ichigo," Hiyori replied.

"Yoruichi said they don't know anything about Mashiro," Shinji continued.

Hiyori gave a nod. "Suì-Feng told us. She'll turn up sooner or later."

"I hope so," Shinji said before following after Suì-Feng and Yoruichi. Hiyori wasn't far behind him.

They entered the dining room to find everyone else gathered there. Sado, Yoruichi, and Suì-Feng were gathered around the old laptop the Visoreds owned, focused on the screen. Lisa and Aikawa Love were at the table with several volumes of manga – all in French – sitting between them. Ushouda Hachigen, known as Hachi, was across the table from them with a cup of tea, listening to the quiet conversation coming from the three non-Visoreds. No one looked up when Shinji and Hiyori entered the room.

"Looks like everyone's been just fine without me," Shinji commented.

"The world didn't stop turning because you decided to go sulk," Lisa said without looking up from the manga she was reading.

"I missed you too," Shinji replied dryly. "I found a shop you'd like."

"Good. Love's manga is getting boring."

"Yet you keep reading it," Love pointed out. Lisa just shrugged at him.

"Welcome back," Hachi said to Shinji.

"Thanks, Hachi."

"Judging by these articles, we're heading to Canada next," Yoruichi interrupted. "While the rest of you are needed in Karakura. Kisuke's getting close.

"You heard from him?" Hiyori asked.

Yoruichi nodded. "His plan sounds interesting."

"That makes me worry," Hiyori said with a sigh.

Yoruichi just grinned at the small blonde haired Visored. "Just think how worried Aizen needs to be."

* * *

><p><strong>Karakura, several days later (2008)<strong>

"That kid really is creepy," Asano Keigo muttered as he watched Gin, Ran, Kohaku, and Hisana play together.

"You too, Keigo-kun?" Hotaru groaned. She, Keigo, Arisawa Tatsuki, and Kojima Mizuiro were lounging together in the haven's common room. The four of them had formed a group of sorts. They were the only humans who weren't truly involved in all the fighting and planning.

"What do you mean by that?" Keigo asked Hotaru, confused.

Hotaru tucked her hair behind her ear. "Everyone's always so weird around Gin-chan. He's such a sweetheart," she replied.

"There's just a lot you still don't know," Tatsuki told the younger woman.

"I got that much. And I get that Gin-chan reminds everyone of someone else," Hotaru said.

"It's a long story, but the guy they're reminded of did a lot of terrible things. He had this unnerving smirk that reminded me of a snake," explained Tatsuki.

"We don't really know a whole lot about him either but he was terrifying," added Keigo.

"You met him?" inquired Hotaru.

"I wouldn't phrase it quite like that," Mizuiro chimed in.

"The first time Aizen tried to destroy Karakura, the Shinigami moved Karakura into Soul Society. Except for us, everyone else was in a deep sleep. That's how we saw Ichimaru," Tatsuki explained.

"So have you guys always been able to see Shinigami and those monsters?" Hotaru asked.

"Only as long as Ichigo's been a Shinigami," answered Mizuiro.

"I've only been able to within the last few years but I never knew Ichigo before I met Byakuya-san," Hotaru admitted.

"That's because of all the powerful Shinigami being here. It's the affect they have on our world," Keigo said.

Hotaru rubbed her temples. "This makes my head spin."

Keigo patted her on the back. "It is pretty complicated."

"Sounds like it," sighed Hotaru.

"There you guys are!"

The four of them looked up to see a small group, led by Orihime, approach them.

"What's up Orihime?" Tatsuki asked her friend.

"We've decided to go and do something fun because things have been quiet, just like old times!" Orihime exclaimed cheerfully. The "we" she was referring to consisted of Rukia, Renji, Ichigo, Hitsugaya, and, surprisingly, Byakuya.

"Really?!" Keigo exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

"Yeah, we need to have fun once in a while," Ichigo said.

Rukia nodded sagely from her spot next to him. "We need to appreciate the good things even during the bad times.

"Count me in," Tatsuki said.

"Me too," added Mizuiro.

"Are you coming too, Hotaru-chan?" Orihime asked.

"I should probably stay with the kids…"Hotaru said hesitantly.

"Karin can watch them," Ichigo said.

"Ah… but…" Hotaru stammered, still hesitant. The young woman hadn't actually ventured out of the haven since she had woken up there.

"If you do not wish to leave, I will stay behind with you," Byakuya spoke up. He understood why she was apprehensive to go out with them.

"If I have to go, you're going too Kuchiki," Hitsugaya declared.

"Yeah, you need to loosen up more than anyone here," Ichigo added before turning to face Hotaru. He extended his hand to her. "You too. You have my word nothing bad will happen."

Byakuya raised an eyebrow at Ichigo. He expected Hotaru to refuse the orange haired man's offer.

"Fine, I'll go," Hotaru said, accepting Ichigo's hand.

Byakuya turned his attention back to Hotaru, trying to mask his surprise and confusion. "Are you certain? You do not need to feel pressured to join us," he asked her.

Hotaru nodded. "I can't be afraid forever. I trust you. I trust your friends."

Byakuya nodded a bit, puzzled by the young woman's sudden change of heart. He was continuously surprised by the affect Ichigo had on those humans who gathered around him.

"Good. Let's go have some fun," Ichigo said before leading everyone off.

Byakuya fell into step next to Hotaru and matched his pace to hers. "I am glad you are joining us."

Hotaru looked up at him and smiled. "Me too," she said.

Byakuya continued to watch her, keeping his expression as neutral as possible. Letting his emotions show was something he had trained himself not to do and old habits tended to die hard with nobility.

"Hurry up you two!" Orihime called from some distance ahead of Byakuya and Hotaru.

"They're in their own little world, Inoue," Ichigo said.

"Oh, you notice when other people act like that but not when you and Rukia do it?" Renji said to Ichigo, his implications about both couples clear. "You really are an idiot Ichigo!"

"Shut up Renji! It's not like anyone's flirting!" Ichigo snapped.

Hotaru turned bright red. "Flirting?!"

"Yeah, Nii-sama doesn't flirt, idiot," Rukia told Renji. "He courts."

"No one is courting," Byakuya said quickly.

"Or flirting!" Hotaru added just as quickly.

"We were simply having a conversation," Byakuya finished, no trace of emotion on his face or in his voice. Inwardly, however, he was shocked and appalled by the implications of his sister and her friends. He was hesitant to even consider courting Hotaru, having been down a similar road with Hisana. On top of that, he still was confused about his feelings towards Hotaru. Initially he had felt compelled to help them simply because her sister shared the same name as his late wife, curious to see if the child could be the reincarnation of his Hisana. However, he could not deny that there was something intriguing about Hotaru. She seemed to be his Hisana's opposite in many ways. In the end, he had put his internal struggle aside to avoid being completely distracted by it.

"Nii-sama? Is something wrong?" Rukia asked, drawing Byakuya back to the present. "Hotaru rushed ahead with the others. She looked embarrassed," Rukia said, motioning to the group that was a few blocks ahead.  
>"Ah. We should catch up to them, then," Byakuya told his sister.<p>

"If you're sure there's nothing on your mind…"

Byakuya gave his sister a rare, genuine smile. "You are quite perceptive, Rukia."

"Th-thank you, Nii-sama!" Rukia glowed at the compliment.

"Maybe you can explain what it is about Kurosaki Ichigo that draws people to him," Byakuya suggested.

Rukia looked up at her brother. "What draws us to Ichigo?" she repeated, looking thoughtful.

Byakuya watched her in silence, curious as to what her answer would be.

"Ichigo's a beacon of hope. Whatever he promises, he delivers on. And he stands by the people he cares about," Rukia finally answered.

"And this is why you love him?" Byakuya pressed on.

Rukia blushed but nodded.

Byakuya eyed his sister and said, "I do not approve of him."

Rukia's eyes widened. "Nii-sama!"

"I think I would not approve of any man who wished to court you," he added. "You are my sister and though I have not always been an ideal brother to you, I wish only the best for you."

"You are an amazing brother, Nii-sama! You're brave and just and an amazing artist!" Rukia gushed, her praise genuine.

"Let us rejoin our companions," Byakuya said before Rukia could attempt to examine his personal life the way he had just done to her.


	7. Chapter 6

_**End of Days**_

**Disclaimer: **Bleach and its characters belong to Kubo Tite. Any OCs belong to me.

**Author's Note: **Update day! This chapter introduces another OC to the fold. I hope you guys like him as much as I do! This is also my longest chapter to date, which makes me feel a bit proud of myself.

* * *

><p><strong>Japan 2008<strong>

"Hey Uryuu," do you think we should get married?" Yuzu asked as she laid next to Uryuu, his arms tightly around her.

"Is that what you want to do?" Uryuu asked her.

Yuzu nodded and felt Uryuu's arms tighten around her. "Do you want to?" she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper. She was almost afraid to hear his answer in case he said "no".

"Of course I want to marry you. I was hoping to ask when you could have your family around. I knew you'd want to share the moment with them," Uryuu replied.

"I'm sorry I ruined your plans!" Yuzu exclaimed.

Uryuu chuckled and kissed the top of Yuzu's head. "What brought this on?"

"Everything is going to become more dangerous now that we're going back to Karakura. I just didn't want anything bad to happen to either of us without knowing we have no regrets," the young woman confessed.

Uryuu nodded. Yuzu's words were the truth. There was only one thing he would regret more than not marrying Yuzu – not being there to raise their child. "I understand completely."

Yuzu smiled. She was happy. Despite everything happening around them, she had found complete happiness. She had everything she needed – love, acceptance, good family, and good friends. Everything had fallen into place after she had joined the Ishida men on their search for more Quincy. Her crush on Uryuu had blossomed into something beautiful and pure.

A loud knock at their bedroom door killed the romantic mood completely. "Get up. We need to leave."

Uryuu cursed but he and Yuzu sat up. There was only one reason his father would interrupt them in the middle of the night. Aizen's own personal army of Quincies had to be near. The number of Sternritter that had joined Aizen dismayed Uryuu. He had hoped the Quincies would be smart enough to oppose Aizen, who would likely kill them when he had no more use for them.

"Ready to go?" Yuzu asked after she had finished throwing on real clothes.

Uryuu nodded. "Stay close," he said.

"Of course. I'll always have your back."

"Let's go then," Uryuu said as he ushered Yuzu out of the room. The young couple soon joined Ryuuken and the handful of Quincies they travelled with. Some were like Yuzu and Uryuu, children who had been spared when their mixed blood parents had lost their powers to Yhwach. Two of them were pure blood Quincy like Ryuuken. And one was the only Sternritter they had encountered that didn't want to side with Aizen and hadn't been killed by Aizen's Sternritter.

"Let's get this show on the road," Bazz-B said impatiently

"No one said you have to stick around," Uryuu muttered. He and Bazz-B disliked each other greatly. The fact that Bazz-B had stuck around genuinely confused and surprised Uryuu.

"You looking to start a fight?" Bazz-B demanded.

"Enough! We don't have time for this!" Yuzu told them.

"Yuzu is right. We need to get moving. We'll split up and head for Karakura," Ryuuken explained. "Take the cars as far as you can."

"Stay safe," Yuzu said to Ryuuken.

Ryuuken nodded. "Bazz-B will go with you, Uryuu, and Eberhard."

"What?!" Uryuu and Bazz-B exclaimed.

"He is strong. You need that extra strength to protect Yuzu," Ryuuken told his son.

"I'd rather travel with you then," Uryuu said.

"You sound like an insolent child," Ryuuken pointed out to his son.

Uryuu glowered at his father.

"Uryuu, it's fine," Yuzu said softly, taking hold of his hand. "We can't afford to argue right now."

Uryuu sighed in defeat. "Do the cars have full tanks?" Uryuu asked his father.

Ryuuken nodded and handed his son a set of keys. "Good luck," the older Ishida said. He looked at his son, almost as if he wanted to say more. And perhaps he did but Ishida Ryuuken had long since lost the ability to articulate his emotions properly.

Uryuu took the keys from his father, meeting his gaze. "You too," he said and gave a slight nod. Uryuu had become better at reading his father over the last few years. He had felt he understood his father better even if they weren't any closer than they had been before.

Yuzu gave Ryuuken a quick hug, surprising him, before leaving with Uryuu. Bazz-B and Eberhard followed behind the couple quietly.

* * *

><p><strong>2 weeks later<strong>

"If we keep travelling at this rate we'll be in Karakura in a few weeks," Uryuu said to Yuzu and their companions. It was early evening and they had stopped to eat and rest.

"Good. I'm tired of living like a fugitive," grumbled Bazz-B.

"I've just happy for the chance to sleep in a real bed," Yuzu said happily.

"Thank you for opening up your family's home to us," Uryuu said to Eberhard.

"It's nice to come back here. I just wish it was under better circumstances," Eberhard, an older man with greying blonde hair and kind blue eyes.

Uryuu nodded. They had been lucky since they had split up from his father and the others. Aizen's Quincies hadn't found them again. He hoped his father had been just as lucky.

"How about we have some dinner now?" Yuzu suggested, hoping to distract everyone. They had stopped to add to their food supply the day before and Yuzu was confident she could cook something decent for them with what she had to work with.

"You're my guest, Yuzu-san. You don't have to cook for everyone!" protested Eberhard.

"It's fine. I've been in charge of cooking and cleaning since my mom died," Yuzu told Eberhard before she slipped into the kitchen with their food. She didn't leave the kitchen again until their dinner was finished cooking.

"It smells really good," Eberhard said as Yuzu ushered the three men into the dining room.

"Good," Yuzu said before she slipped back into the kitchen to get their dinner.

Bazz-B looked at Uryuu. "How'd someone like you get such an awesome woman?" he asked as Yuzu returned with their dinner.

"He's supported me and my decisions unconditionally for the last five years," Yuzu replied for her boyfriend.

"You could do better," Bazz-B told her.

Yuzu just smiled. "The heart wants what the heart wants, Bazz-B-san," she said as she set the food down on the table.

"You said your mother died. Was it a Shinigami?" Eberhard asked. He was still too new to the group to know Yuzu's history.

"Eberhard!" Uryuu hissed.

"It's okay. He doesn't know," Yuzu reassured Uryuu.

"Know what?" Eberhard asked, confused.

"Her father's a Shinigami, stupid," Bazz-B informed Eberhard, a fact Bazz-B only knew from his time as a Sternritter.

"I'm so sorry Yuzu-san! That was careless of me!" Eberhard apologized, looking ashamed of his tactless comment.

"You didn't know! It's fine, really. Even I didn't know the truth prior to this war," Yuzu reassured the older Quincy. "A Hollow killed my mother. She died saving my brother's life."

"Her brother is the Shinigami we're heading to Karakura for," Uryuu added as he helped himself to some food.

"And his allies," Yuzu said. Eberhard nodded a bit.

"That'll be a fun fight. I hope I take at last one out with me," Bazz-B said.

Yuzu frowned at him. "They're our allies in this fight," she reminded him.

"Do you really think they'll see I that way? Not fucking likely," Bazz-B replied.

"They forgave Uryuu!"

"Only because your father stepped in…" Uryuu mumbled.

"Then I'll step in! Bazz-B-san won't be harmed," Yuzu said determinedly. She levelled a fierce look at Bazz-B that would make her siblings proud. "I'll put in a good word for you. In return you won't pick any fights with them.

All three of the men stared at Yuzu. It was rare to see her act so stern with anyone. "Whatever you say kid," Bazz-B replied.

"I'm not a kid!" Yuzu stated, felling annoyed.

"You really should be more gracious to Yuzu-san," Eberhard told Bazz-B

"Don't chastise me, old man," Bazz-B retorted.

"I'm not chastising, little boy. I just believe it's inappropriate to treat a lady the way you do," Eberhard countered.

"Do you know who you're talking to?! I'm one of the Sternritter!" Bazz-B shouted, slamming his fists down on the table. He glared daggers at the older man.

Eberhard didn't even flinch at the outburst. The half-German Quincy had been around long enough to know how to handle people like Bazz-B. "You are a Quincy on the run. The day your king died is the day you stopped being a Sternritter."

Bazz-B narrowed his eyes at Eberhard. "You don't know anything!"

"I know I lost my child when the Gemischt Quincy lost their powers," Eberhard said. "So tell me, should I be grateful? Should I thank you, Sternritter, for serving the man who caused the deaths of so many? Yhwach was not better than the Shinigami."

Bazz-B just continued to glare at Eberhard but said nothing else. Instead, the red haired Quincy did nothing but eat.

"Your child wasn't a full blooded Quincy?" Uryuu asked. Before that moment, Eberhard had never revealed much about himself aside from the fact that he was half-German and half-Japanese. He was several years older than Ryuuken and he had mentioned once in passing that he had known Ishida Souken, Uryuu's grandfather.

Eberhard nodded, looking much older in that moment than he actually was. "I met a woman in Munich and fell in love. She wasn't a Quincy, but we were happy. My parents approved as well," Eberhard told the young Quincies at the table.

"That's so sweet," Yuzu said with a smile.

"Yes, she was a lovely woman. My Gitta was the sweetest, gentlest woman I have ever met. We married young, Gitta and I, and were expecting almost immediately. When the baby came along, I was excited to be able to pass on the Quincy legacy to her. Liselotte was of an age to begin training well before the Auswählen. And Lilo, she was excited to learn the way of her papa's ancestors. The training made Gitta nervous, but she allowed it.

"That awful day began as any other. Lilo did her studies before we trained together. We ate our meals with Gitta and Lilo helped her clean up afterward. That day, however, we decided to use some bait to draw out a few weak Hollow. It wasn't often Lilo got to apply her training on actual enemies. I watched from a distance, confident in my daughter's abilities. She had learned from me and I had learned from Quincies in Germany and Japan, including training with Souken Ishida.

"Lilo's fight went smoothly at the beginning. She did me and my mentors proud. It was my pride in my daughter that delayed my aid. By the time I realized something was wrong, it was too late to save Lilo. I managed to get her back to our home but she passed soon after with Gitta and I at her side," Eberhard told the others, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Oh Eberhard-san! I am so, so sorry!" Yuzu sniffled sympathetically. She, too, had tears in her eyes.

"Thank you, Yuzu-san, for shedding tears for my beloved daughter," Eberhard said to her in reply.

"My mother died the same day," Yuzu said.

"My mother fell into a coma because of the Auswählen," Uryuu admitted.

"It was war and it was necessary! Everyone has to die sometime!" Bazz-B exclaimed quickly. "Everyone experiences loss!"

Eberhard nodded at Bazz-B. "Yes, everyone dies and everyone experiences loss. But causing death to increase one's own power is not just. A Quincy fights for justice. We do not slaughter our own for personal gain."

"It wasn't for personal gain! He gave us powers too!"

"You were cannon fodder. If you died, he gained back that power. He was good at manipulation," Uryuu spoke up.

Bazz-B just growled and stormed out of the dining room. Yuzu sighed and Uryuu muttered "good riddance" under his breath.

"I think his story is probably just as tragic as our own," Eberhard mused, mostly to himself.

"The world is full of sadness. I hate it," Yuzu said.

"The sadness allows you to enjoy the happiness that much more, Yuzu-san. Never forget that."

* * *

><p><strong>Canada 2008<strong>

Isane flopped down in the grass, breathing hard. She hadn't trained so hard in such a long time and she was exhausted.

"You're doing better," Yumichika told her as he sat down beside her.

"She still has a long way to go," Ikkaku told Yumichika and Isane. The hairless man didn't even look like he had broken a sweat compared to Isane.

"Be nice, Ikkaku. She's still adjusting to our style," Yumichika chided.

"He'll get his during kidou training," Isane replied.

"Whatever you say, Kotetsu," Ikkaku said with a shrug.

"How is that going?" Yumichika asked Isane, ignoring the glare it earned him from Ikkaku.

"He's making progress slowly," Isane answered.

"Has he blown himself up yet?"

Isane laughed but shook her head. "Not yet!"

"Shut up, both of you!" Ikkaku growled, his face turning red from anger and embarrassment.

"Ikkaku, the top of your head is turning red," Yumichika pointed out.

"SHUT UP!"

"All right, stop picking on Madarame! I really don't want to deal with a brawl tonight," came Nanao's voice from behind the trio.

"Welcome back Nanao, Hisagi-san," Isane greeted Nanao and Hisagi. The two of them had gone into town to get food and other supplies the Shinigami had run out of. The five of them had made a nice home in the secluded cottage they had found. Initially they had planned to stay as long as it took Yumichika and Hisagi to heal from their injuries but it soon became home.

"It looks like you three are having fun," Hisagi commented. He never imagined there would be a time when anyone from the 4th and 11th Divisions would have fun together.

"We're making bets on how soon Ikkaku will blow himself up in his kidou training," Yumichika replied casually.

"Damn it, shut up Yumichika!" Ikkaku snapped.

"I hope you're taking Isane's lessons seriously, Madarame," Nanao said, her glasses glinting dangerously.

Ikkaku shivered involuntarily at the look. "Of course I am! I'm a man of my word! And Kotetsu has been keeping hers," he grumbled, looking away from Nanao.

"Yes, things are fine Nanao, but thank you," Isane added, a little scared of Nanao as well.

"Let's just go get today's lesson over with Kotetsu," Ikkaku said quickly.

"Eh? Right now?" Isane asked, confused. She looked at Ikkaku for a moment before getting up off the ground. "o-okay, if you really want to," she said, sounding a bit unsure.

Ikkaku just stalked off without another word. He had been insistent that they work in private. It was embarrassing enough learning kidou; the last thing he wanted was an audience.

"We'll be back for dinner," Isane said to Nanao.

"Show him no mercy," Yumichika said from where he remained sitting. Isane smiled down at Yumichika before she followed after her angry pupil.

"She looked exhausted," Hisagi pointed out.

"Ikkaku has a soft spot for her it would seem," Yumichika told Hisagi and Nanao casually.

"How do you figure that?" Hisagi asked, confused.

"He's pushing her harder than anyone else. He wants her to be the absolute best she can be," answered Yumichika as he fiddled with his hair.

"I don't know if that equates to him having a soft spot for Isane," Nanao said, unconvinced by Yumichika's logic.

Yumichika just shrugged. "It's true whether you believe it or not. He respects her enough to treat her as an equal."

"Who knew he had a sensitive side?" Hisagi mused. Nanao snorted at the thought.

"Don't tell him that though. You'll end up with a matching set of scars on your face," Yumichika informed Hisagi.

"Oh trust me, I won't be pointing it out to him any time soon," Hisagi said. He wasn't about to provoke Ikkaku.

"Please remember that the next time the two of you get drunk. I don't want to play nurse to you again," Nanao instructed sternly before she turned to go into the cottage.

"But you make an excellent nurse!" Hisagi called to her retreating form.

"And you are an insufferable patient!" Nanao called back.

"I'm not that bad!" insisted Hisagi. With another incredulous snort, Nanao disappeared into the cottage. "Aw, c'mon Nanao!" Hisagi said with a laugh before following his girlfriend into the cottage.

Yumichika shook his head and chuckled as he was left alone. He was happy for his friends. And as much as he missed the action filled life of a Shinigami, he did hope they could enjoy the home they made together a little longer.

* * *

><p>"Let's call it a night, Ikkaku-san," Isane called from where she was sitting and watching Ikkaku practice. She had given him some instruction initially but she knew he really needed to blow off steam.<p>

"Fight me," Ikkaku said instead.

"Fight you? Why?" the silvery haired woman asked, confused.

Ikkaku flashed her am almost feral grin. "For the hell of it. Bet you could use the release."

Isane blushed, knowing there could be all kinds of double meaning behind Ikkaku's words.

"C'mon Kotetsu. Show me what you got," Ikkaku continued, trying to goad her into action.

Isane glared at Ikkaku but got to her feet anyway. "You're going to regret that," she warned, her hand going to Itegumo's hilt.

Ikkaku's grin widened and he reached for his Houzukimaru. All the training drills he had been doing had left him itching for a good fight. There hadn't been any real Hollow attacks lately and Ikkaku was growing restless. "Show me what the fourth division is made of!" he taunted.

Isane drew Itegumo and charged at Ikkaku. It had always bothered her that the 11th Division made it a point to harass and put down her division. She was a skilled enough fighter as it was but training with the others had definitely helped her improve. She would do Unohana-taichou proud and one up Ikkaku.

"Focus, Kotetsu!" Ikkaku ordered as he easily dodged and countered her attack. Isane countered his attack and glared at him. "Keep your focus and you might stand a chance," Ikkaku taunted with a grin.

The two Shinigami continued to fight, each of them attacking, countering, and defending. Their movements were fluid, their Zanpakutou extensions of their bodies. They moved as though they were performing a complicated dance. Their dance was brief, however. Mid-attack, Ikkaku stopped moving. "Something's coming," he said to Isane.

"Should we try to get back to the others?" Isane asked.

Before Ikkaku could answer, the enemy appeared from the trees. Dressed in white uniforms resembling those of the Wandenreich, a dozen figures appeared around Isane and Ikkaku. Each figure held a Zanpakutou.

"What the hell?! Are they Shinigami or Quincy?" Ikkaku asked, confused.

"Something's not right with them. Look at their skin, it's severely discoloured," Isane pointed out.

"What the fuck happened to them?" asked the baffled Ikkaku.

"I don't know. Aizen must have done something to them," replied the equally baffled Isane. The circle of enemies began to close in on the two Shinigami, forcing them to stand back to back. Suddenly, Isane's eyes widened. "Ogidou? Iemura?"

"Who?" asked Ikkaku without looking over his shoulder.

"They're part of my division," Isane replied, her voice trembling just a little.

Without a word, Iemura lunged at Isane, his sword poised for the kill.

"Iemura, stop!" Isane exclaimed, bringing her own sword up to block the attack. The blond member of the 4th Division just continued to attack Isane, his movements a little slow and stiff. He moved almost as though he were being controlled by strings. Isane had the advantage over Iemura, though she only attacked if necessary and never tried to seriously injure the man.

"Fight seriously Kotetsu! They're our enemies!" Ikkaku called out as he showed the Wandenreich-Shinigami no mercy. He had released Houzukimaru at some point while Isane was distracted.

The tall woman faltered. "They're fourth division! I can't hurt them!" She blocked Iemura again. At the same moment Ogidou decided to attack Isane as well, catching her off guard. Isane cried out as Ogidou's blade sliced her arm.

"Kotetsu!" Ikkaku tried to get over to her as Iemura and Ogidou moved to attack at the same time.

"Kare, Kazeshini!" One of Hisagi's double bladed scythes flew at Ogidou while the other Targeted Iemura. Isane stumbled back, surprised by Hisagi's arrival.

"Isane! Are you okay?"

Isane blinked as Nanao appeared next to her. "Nanao! Something's wrong with them!" Isane told her friend.

"I know. We were ambushed at home," Nanao informed Isane. "They're puppets of a Quincy serving Aizen."

"What?!"

Nanao nodded. "Ayasegawa is fighting her. He volunteered so Shuuhei and I could sneak off to find you two."

At the mention of his name, Yumichika appeared, bloody from his own battle. At the same moment, the Wandenreich-Shinigami began to retreat.

"What's going on?" demanded Ikkaku, who looked just as bad as Yumichika.

"It looks like Aizen recruited the Quincy," Nanao replied.

"Did you learn anything from the Quincy girl?" Hisagi asked Yumichika.

Yumichika grimaced. "'She' is a 'he' and his blood turns Shinigami into zombies."

"Did you kill her?" Nanao asked.

"'Him' and no," replied Yumichika.

"Then why did she… he… it retreat?

"I don't know!" exclaimed Yumichika, frustrated and annoyed. "I almost killed him before he got away."

"You'll get your chance. I'm sure we haven't seen the last of our zombie friends," Nanao reassured him.

"Those fucking things are a pain in the ass, that's for sure," Ikkaku said, referring to the zombie Shinigami he and Isane just thought.

"Those 'things' are fourth division Shinigami, my friends!" Isane snapped, suddenly filled with rage.

"Fourth division?" echoed Nanao.

Isane nodded. "If we go back, we could save them. I'm sure Urahara-san can fix this," the tall woman continued on.

"The only way to help them is to kill them," Ikkaku said harshly.

Isane turned to face him, glaring hard at him. "You don't know that they can't be cured!"

"And you don't know that they can! Wake up, Kotetsu! This is war! People are going to die!" Ikkaku told Isane calmly.

"You're okay with murdering our friends?!" Isane exclaimed, on the verge of hysterics by that point.

"To you it's murder. I see it as compassion. I'd rather die than be controlled by Aizen and his followers," Ikkaku said, still calm. It wouldn't help anyone if he lost his temper. "Ise, she's injured. Why don't you take her inside?"

Isane looked down and noticed her arm was covered in blood. She remembered Ogidou landing a hit on her but she hadn't realized had bad it had been. "Oh," she breathed, suddenly pale now that her adrenaline rush was coming to an end.

"Come on, Isane. Let's go get you cleaned up," Nanao said gently. She began leading Isane back to their home.

When Ikkaku was certain the two women were far enough away, he turned to look at Yumichika and Hisagi. "Those zombies were ruthless. All they do is fight unless you kill them," he informed the two of them. He led them over to where he had last been fighting. "It was he or me," Ikkaku said. He stopped walking when he reached a headless corpse. Yumichika's eyes widened and Hisagi gasped in surprise.

"Do you know who it was?" Hisagi asked.

Ikkaku shook his head. "No one I knew," he said.

"Such an ugly thing to do to a Shinigami," Yumichika commented.

"Decapitation?" inquired Hisagi.

"Dressing them in that uniform," replied Yumichika, wrinkling his nose at the body.

"That's what you're upset about?!" Hisagi demanded. "That's a dead Shinigami! One of us!"

"No, that is an enemy. One of them," Yumichika replied. "Ikkaku is right, this is war. If we falter in the face of any enemy, we will be the ones to die."


	8. Chapter 7

_**End of Days**_

**Disclaimer: **Bleach and its characters belong to Kubo Tite. Any OCs belong to me.

**Author's Note:** Merry (belated) Christmas! I hope everyone had a good holiday, whatever you celebrate!

* * *

><p><strong>Karakura 2008<strong>

"I want to study your ability to reject events," Urahara said frankly. He and Orihime were in his lab. The only other person in the room with them was Tessai, who was busy cleaning up his and Urahara's lunch mess.

"You want to use it on Aizen and the Hogyoku," Orihime said bluntly.

"Very perceptive. What I'd like to do is see if we can imbue something other than your hair pins with your power," he elaborated.

"Is that possible?" the young woman asked.

"With your help, I'd like to find out," Urahara answered honestly. "You can say no, Orihime, but this is our best shot. You have unique abilities that no one else has."

Orihime nodded slowly, letting Urahara's words sink in. She had resolved to do almost the same thing he was suggesting when she had been in Hueco Mundo. If she had acted then, would they be in the same situation? Or would she have lost her life if she had tried? Maybe things could have played out differently. Ulquiorra could still be alive if she had destroyed the Hogyoku. Thinking about the fallen fourth Espada brought a lot of emotions she had kept locked away up to the surface.

"What do you say Orihime? Will you help me?" Urahara implored.

Orihime nodded. "This needs to end. I'll help you anyway I can.

"Let's get to work then," Urahara said, wasting no more time on formalities.

* * *

><p>Hotaru paced in her room. She was filled with nervous energy. She had asked Byakuya to join her for lunch and though it wasn't an out of the ordinary occurrence, it was the first time since the others had started to tease her about her crush. Just thinking about it made her blush.<p>

'_Normal, just be normal,_' she thought, trying to steel her resolve. '_He's just a man, just a friend._'

Realistically, Hotaru could never be more than friends with the Shinigami nobleman. She knew that. She had decided she could live with that. What they had was enough for her. Hotaru knew she saw more sides of Byakuya than the other Shinigami. Many of them had pointed that out to her over the years. Even so, she still probably knew less about him than they did. She had so many questions that she was afraid to ask. She couldn't stand the thought of pushing him away with intrusive questions. All Hotaru needed to know were the basics – Rukia was his beloved sister; he loved spicy food; Renji was his right-hand man; he had been married once; and his wife had passed away. She didn't need any more details than that even if she was curious. They seemed trivial compared to the things she had come to know through her own means.

Hotaru saw how warm and gentle Byakuya was in private. He had a unique sense of humour that many people didn't understand. And despite his serious and seemingly cold exterior, Byakuya had a way with children. Hotaru also saw the sadness in his eyes when he mentioned or thought of his late wife. She noticed the fond way he looked at or spoke of Rukia. The looks Hotaru often received from him were curious, almost searching, and a little hopeful. Perhaps if she knew just what Byakuya was searching for she wouldn't be so nervous.

A knock sounded at her door and Hotaru stopped pacing. She smoothed the wrinkles out of her shirt and finger combed her hair quickly. With a deep, hopefully calming breath, Hotaru walked over to the door and opened it. Her heart may have skipped a beat when she saw him.

Byakuya stood in the door in his shihakushou and haori. It was a sight Hotaru often saw in her dreams but not one she saw every day. She was used to seeing him in his human skin, his special gigai.

"It was my morning to patrol Karakura," Byakuya explained. He sounded apologetic, a rare thing for Kuchiki Byakuya. He was not used to apologizing to anyone.

Hotaru just smiled up at him. "I don't mind. This is the real you, after all," she said. She stepped back to let Byakuya enter.

"Thank you," he said as he entered. "Is it to be just the two of us?"

Hotaru nodded. "Kohaku and Hisana are off running around with Gin and Ran."

At the mention of the silver haired child Byakuya frowned. He did not like the idea of Hotaru's siblings being near Gin. He did not like Ichimaru's reincarnate being in the haven. The child's presence was one of the few things that unnerved Byakuya. "I do not like that," he finally stated.

Hotaru just raised an eyebrow at the Shinigami. "They're just kids."

"That child is not 'just a kid'. He helped in a plot to have Rukia executed," Byakuya said, his voice full of icy hatred.

"That man **died**! Gin is sweet and generous and protective! He's a good boy," Hotaru replied in Gin's defence.

"People like him do not change I do not approve of him being around Kohaku and Hisana."

Hotaru's jaw dropped. "Children aren't born evil. People make them that way," she said after a moment. "And you are not their father! You have no say in their upbringing!"

Byakuya stared at Hotaru, who met his gaze. She had that determined look on her face again. It seemed almost defiant given the current situation. "It was you who charged me with their care," he pointed out.

"Because I thought I was going to die! And I wasn't going to abandon them to the same fate! What kind of woman do you think I am?!" the dark haired woman exploded.

Byakuya's eyes widened in shock and he looked away quickly. "I apologize," he said quickly.

Hotaru sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, too. I forget that I don't know much about you and Shinigami in general sometimes," she told him.

"My late wife abandoned her sister. She revealed that to me on her death bed. Her dying wish was for me to find her sister and protect her," Byakuya said softly. His normally unreadable exterior was taken over by a look of heart breaking sadness.

"And I'm a jackass," Hotaru sighed. "I'm sorry for what I said." She then motioned for Byakuya to sit on her small, worn sofa.

The Shinigami did so and Hotaru joined him quietly. "Her name was Hisana and she bore a strong resemblance to Rukia," he continued, watching Hotaru.

"So basically you saw Hisana when you found us," the human woman said, not sure how she felt about that admission. Byakuya nodded a bit. "Do you think Hisana is like Gin and Ran? Your wife reborn?" she asked calmly.

"It was one of many possibilities that had crossed my mind. However, none of you resemble Hisana or Rukia," Byakuya admitted.

"I named Hisana after the woman who helped keep us safe while my mother was pregnant. She was an older woman but I guess she could have looked like Rukia," Hotaru explained. "She died about a month before you found us."

"I see."

Hotaru nodded sadly. "Anyway, how about lunch? I'm starving," she said, changing the subject abruptly. Hotaru didn't want to talk about the late Hisana anymore.

Byakuya offered her a concerned but confused look. "Are you all right Hotaru?"

Hotaru just flashed him her cheeriest smile. "Perfectly fine!" she said, forcing herself to sound cheerful.

Byakuya didn't believe her at all. "You are pretending to be happy. Why?"

"Because there will only ever be room in your heart for Hisana," Hotaru replied before leaving her small living room.

* * *

><p><strong>Next Day <strong>

"Renji, Urahara needs us to make a supply run," Ichigo told his red headed friend.

Renji groaned. "Somehow I always get picked to go along on these errands."

"He tells everyone it's how you're repaying him for being a moocher," Ichigo told Renji. "You didn't know that?"

"Damn it!" Renji exclaimed.

"You're an idiot," Ichigo sighed.

"Shut up," Renji snapped.

"What are the two of you doing?" Ichigo and Renji turned, surprised by the sudden interruption by Byakuya.

"N-nothing, Taichou!"

"Just doing Urahara's errands," Ichigo answered.

Byakuya looked from Ichigo to Renji. "Just the two of you?" he asked.

Renji nodded. "Yes, Taichou."

"I shall accompany you as well," the dark haired Shinigami informed them.

Renji and Ichigo exchanged confused looks. In five years, Byakuya had only gone for supplies once. He had gone with Isshin to get medicine and toys the night Byakuya had brought Hotaru and her siblings to the haven.

"Are you sure Taichou? Ichigo and I can handle this," Renji insisted.

"I am sure. Now let us go," Byakuya answered. He left ahead of the two stunned Shinigami, unaffected by their incredulous looks.

"This is going to be awkward," Renji said.

"It's weird," Ichigo said by way of agreement.

"Let's just get it over with," Renji sighed before dragging Ichigo along after Byakuya. They kept behind him at a respectful distance, both wondering if Byakuya had lost his mind.

"Abarai. Kurosaki. Do you think I am incapable of… love?"

"Yes."

"Of course not, Taichou!" Ichigo and Renji said at the same time.

Byakuya stopped walking and turned to look at them. "Pardon?"

"Ichigo, you idiot! Why'd you say yes?!" Renji hissed.

"Because it's true!"

"Taichou loved his wife! And he loves Rukia!"

"Two people doesn't mean much," Ichigo stated.

"Ignore him, Taichou, he doesn't–"

Byakuya raised a hand to silence Renji. "Thank you for your honesty, Kurosaki."

Ichigo just shrugged. "Lying isn't really my strong point."

"Neither is tact," Renji muttered.

Ichigo ignored the red head. "This is about Hotaru, isn't it?"

Byakuya nodded. "She is confusing person. I do not understand why I am drawn to her," he admitted, revealing one of his few weaknesses to Renji and Ichigo. Dealing with emotions was not one of his strong points.

"She gets the same goofy look on her face that Rukia gets when she's with you," Ichigo pointed out.

Byakuya raised an eyebrow at Ichigo. "I am confused."

"She adores you like you're the greatest thing since sliced bread," Ichigo clarified.

"What he means is some women fall in love with a man who has saved them from a terrible fate," Renji told his taichou.

Byakuya nodded. "That makes sense. It is the same case with Rukia and Kurosaki, is it not?"

Ichigo blanched. "Who said Rukia loves me?!"

"Rukia and Ichigo are… unique…." Renji said.

"I have discussed the issue with Rukia. You do not need to hide the truth from me, Kurosaki," Byakuya informed Ichigo. "Even though you are not good enough to do so, I shall permit you to see Rukia romantically."

Renji's jaw dropped as he stared at his taichou. He had never expected his taichou to give anyone permission to date Rukia.

Ichigo looked just as surprised. "Sure, whatever you say, Byakuya," he said after a moment. The strawberry haired man continued walking as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened though there was a faint blush on his face.

"This trip keeps getting weirder," mumbled Renji as followed behind Ichigo. "Next thing ya know, Taichou's gonna ask permission to see his girl."

"I suppose that would be proper," Byakuya commented as he kept pace with Ichigo and Renji.

Ichigo, however, stopped in his tracks. "That's a stupid idea." He turned to look at Renji and Byakuya. "It's not like she can follow you back to Soul Society. Are you willing to give up everything to stay here?"

"Calm down, Ichigo. I didn't think you were even close to the girl," Renji said, trying to be the voice of reason.

"I'm not. I just know the turmoil going from here to Soul Society then back here causes the people left behind," Ichigo replied, thinking of his own sisters and friends. He even thought of his own parents briefly. "Do you even like her Byakuya?"

Byakuya stared at Ichigo intently. "Of course I like her. Why else would I spend time with her?"

"I think he means romantically, Taichou," Renji clarified.

"I am unsure of the depth of my feelings for Hotaru," Byakuya answered honestly.

"Should figure that out before making any life altering choices," advised Ichigo.

Byakuya gave a slight nod. "You have grown wise in these few years, Kurosaki," he told Ichigo.

"You've come a long way too, Byakuya," Ichigo responded before he started walking again. "Let's get going before it gets too late to get these things Urahara needs."

"Of course," agreed Byakuya as he followed suit.

Renji was left behind, staring openly at his friend and his taichou. "Definitely weird," he said to himself before he followed the two men.

* * *

><p><strong>France 2008<strong>

"Are you sure you want to come with us back to Karakura?" Hachi asked Chad as they watched Suì-Feng and Yoruichi prepare to leave.

"Yes. I will only slow them down," Chad replied. After helping Yoruichi and Suì-Feng track down Ikkaku and his group of Shinigami, Chad had decided it was time to return to Karakura and to his friends.

"It's been a long time since you've been home, hasn't it?" Hachi inquired.

Chad nodded. He couldn't deny that he missed his friends and his home. He had been surprised when Yoruichi had asked for his help tracking down the others in the first place.

"Sado! I'm trusting you to make sure Ichigo and the others are ready for everything we're up against!"

Chad blinked and focused his attention on Yoruichi. "Understood, Yoruichi-san."

"Stay safe."

"You too."


	9. Chapter 8

_**End of Days**_

**Disclaimer: **Bleach and its characters belong to Kubo Tite. Any OCs belong to me.

**Author's Note:** It's time for the update! However, it does come with some news about the update schedule. My final semester of school starts this coming week, so updates will be moving to a bi-weekly status (the first and third Friday/Saturday of the month). It gives me time to finish writing, editing, and typing up the story alongside work, classes, and placement. 

* * *

><p><strong>Karakura, 2 weeks later, 2008<strong>

"We're finally home," Yuzu said with a happy sigh. It had been a long time since she had seen Karakura and her family.

"It doesn't look as bad as I thought it would," Uryuu said as he looked around.

"Looks like the last place we stopped," grumbled Bazz-B.

"It looks a little more beat up than the last place," Eberhard commented.

"Karakura is just one of those places that draws in people of power," Uryuu replied.

Eberhard nodded. "The world is full of such places. One day you should come to Germany. I can take you to Hausham or Oberursel."

"It would be an honour," Yuzu told the older Quincy.

"You three done making vacation plans? 'Cause we got company!" Bazz-B said suddenly.

Yuzu, Eberhard, and Uryuu all looked up to find they were suddenly surrounded. "Wandenreich?" Uryuu asked.

Bazz-B shook his head. "Gigi's zombies. Look at their skin. It ain't normal," he told Uryuu.

"Zombies? Like the undead?" Yuzu asked, doing her best zombie imitation.

Bazz-B shook his head. "They're Gigi's puts."

"Meaning the puppet master can't be far behind," Eberhard said.

"Probably somewhere in the shadows like a coward," Bazz-B said.

"Big words from a traitor." The group of Quincies all turned to see the owner of the new voice standing behind them. A dark haired person in a long white coat stepped towards them, making Bazz-B snarl. Uryuu stepped protectively in front of Yuzu.

"The traitor is you, siding with that Shinigami," Bazz-B sneered. "At least I never betrayed our king, Giselle!"

Giselle laughed. "Yet you're on your way to a den full of Shinigami who are only going to die anyway."

"Not if we kill you first!" Uryuu exclaimed, aiming his newly formed bow at Giselle. Without hesitation, Uryuu fired a volley of arrows at the Sternritter.

Giselle laughed as the zombies blocked the attack. "Is that the best you can do, prince?" the Quincy taunted. "Kill them!" Giselle ordered the zombies.

As the zombies surged forward, Eberhard and Yuzu both formed their bows. "We're ready," Yuzu told her boyfriend.

"Be careful," Uryuu cautioned Yuzu.

"I always am," she replied

Bazz-B cracked his knuckles. "These things are no match for my burner finger."

"I hope you are right," Eberhard said before releasing his first arrow.

"Watch and see, gramps!" Bazz-B laughed before charging into battle. The four Quincy warriors held their own for as long as they could. They had initially believed they stood a chance. Slowly, more and more of Giselle's zombies filled the battlefield. "Gigi, you bastard!" Bazz-B growled as a zombified Shinigami slashed him across the chest.

"I don't think I can keep up much longer," Yuzu said to Uryuu. The lovers fought back to back, making sure to protect each other.

"Any ideas on what we should do?" Eberhard asked as he backed towards Uryuu and Yuzu.

"We can only keep fighting," Uryuu replied as he launched arrow after arrow at the zombies.

"Your arrows ain't doing shit," Bazz-B told Uryuu.

"Neither is your pathetic burner finger," Uryuu retorted through clenched teeth.

"Enough arguing! We need to stand together!" Yuzu snapped.

"We're on the losing end regardless, kid," Bazz-B said as he moved next to Yuzu. The zombies closed in, their weapons drawn.

"Getsuga tenshou!"

A crescent shaped attack sliced through several of the zombies close to Yuzu and Bazz-B. The rest of Giselle's forces began to retreat, their master nowhere to be found. Those not fast enough were cut down by several different attacks as the Quincy watched on. "What the hell were those things? Geeze Ishida, you sure know how to get into a big mess!"

Uryuu adjusted his glasses and shrugged as he turned to face his rescuers. "At least I'm not a show off like you Shinigami," he replied.

"Uh huh," was Ichigo's disbelieving reply. The strawberry haired Shinigami approached the group of Quincy, his blade drawn. Right behind him were Renji, Rukia, and Hitsugaya, each holding their Zanpakutou as well.

"It's about time you got back here," Renji said to Uryuu.

"We had some delays," Uryuu replied.

"And some new friends," Rukia observed with a frown.

"Ah, it's the rooster Quincy!" Renji exclaimed, pointing at Bazz-B.

"Long time no see Eyebrows," Bazz-B said, raising a hand in greeting.

"What is that Sternritter doing here?!" demanded Hitsugaya.

"Former Sternritter. This young man is our valued ally," Eberhard spoke up in Bazz-B's defence. The older man placed a hand on Bazz-B's shoulder protectively.

"Who's the old man?" Ichigo asked as Yuzu pushed her way out from behind Bazz-B and Eberhard.

"Ichigo!" she exclaimed excitedly. She threw herself at her brother, wrapping him in a tight hug.

Ichigo smiled softly down at Yuzu and hugged her back. "I'm glad you're safe," he said softly, intending his words for Yuzu's ears only.

"Uryuu's protected me," Yuzu replied.

Ichigo held his sister at arm's length after their hug, looking her over. He looked relieved to find she had no injuries from the battle until his gaze found her protruding stomach. "'Uryuu'?" Ichigo questioned, his voice suddenly tense.

"What's wrong Ichigo?" Rukia asked, moving forward until she stood at Ichigo's side. Her gaze followed Ichigo's and her eyes widened. "Oh!"

"Before you overreact, Ichi-nii-san, maybe we should get out of the middle of the road?" Yuzu suggested. She hoped she would be able to distract Ichigo from lashing out at Uryuu.

"Yuzu-chan is right. It's not safe and we should get one of these corpses back to Urahara's," Rukia added, her hand finding its way to Ichigo's arm. Ichigo looked at the hand before looking at Rukia's face, the woman meeting his gaze. "It's okay," the dark haired Shinigami added.

Ichigo nodded a bit. "Rukia and Yuzu are right. Let's get back to the haven," he said, glancing back at Renji and Hitsugaya.

As the others proceeded to return to their base of operations, Rukia held Ichigo back for a moment alone. "Are you okay?" she asked softly. Ichigo just nodded even though his face was white. "Are you sure?" the dark haired woman pressed. The last time Uryuu had done something Ichigo didn't agree with had resulted in a broken nose for the Quincy. Rukia thought her companion was being too calm this time around.

"Hey Rukia?" Ichigo finally said.

"Yeah?"

"I finally understand your brother."

* * *

><p>Isshin sat in the common room of the haven, having tea with Urahara and his niece, Shiba Kuukaku. He also kept part of his attention on the four small children running around the room, oblivious to everything going on around them. "Watching them makes me feel nostalgic," he commented to his companions.<p>

"I'm surprised Ganju isn't running around like a fool with them," Kuukaku replied.

"They do like to torment him" mused Urahara as he sipped his tea.

"He enjoys the torture," Kuukaku insisted.

"It's nice seeing them so carefree. Makes a person remember what we're fighting for," Isshin said before turning his full attention over to Urahara. "How are thing progressing on your end?"

"I think everything could be ready in a few weeks. The progress and level of determination has been astounding," Urahara answered

"That's good to hear."

"Uncle!"

Urahara, Kuukaku, and Isshin looked up to find Ganju rushing over to them. "Ganju, what is it?" Isshin asked.

"Ichigo's back with the Quincies," Ganju replied before rushing off again, expecting the others to follow.

Both Urahara and Isshin rose while Kuukaku remained seated. "I'll keep the little monsters from getting nosey," she told the two men.

Isshin nodded before he and Urahara followed after Ganju. They didn't have far to go, however. Everyone was crowded into the entryway to the haven. Isshin pushed his way through to the front of the crowd, stopping next to Urahara's two wards, Hanakari Jinta and Tsumugiya Ururu. A sappy look spread across his face when he saw his daughters embracing, a sight he had missed seeing. He caught Yuzu's caught eye, which were filled love and tears. Isshin moved closer and did his best to wrap his arms around the twins. "Thank god you're okay," he said to his fair haired daughter; he tears in his eyes as well.

"We came as fast as we would," Yuzu said as the three of them pulled apart.

"All that matters is – are you pregnant?!" Isshin exclaimed, taking in Yuzu completely. His jaw dropped slightly and his gaze travelled over to Uryuu. "I'm going to kill Ryuuken for letting this happen!"

"He's not with us, Dad. We had to separate," Yuzu informed her father.

"What…?" Isshin looked from Uryuu to Yuzu.

"We were supposed to meet here," Uryuu added.

"No one else has arrived yet," Karin told her twin and Uryuu.

"Knowing Ryuuken, he's probably still alive somewhere," Isshin stated confidently.

"I see you brought us some new friends," Urahara said as he finally made his way up to the group. "And one of them a former foe!"

"I hate that Aizen guy as much as you Shinigami," Bazz-B said insolently.

"The enemy of my enemy is a friend indeed," Eberhard spoke up. Once again, he placed a hand on Bazz-B's shoulder. "We will fight alongside you for the sake of a better future."

"Welcome to the team," Isshin said to Eberhard and Bazz-B.

* * *

><p>After a brief recap of their ambush and rescue, the Quincies were set up with rooms and left to recover after their travels. After getting a chance to clean up, Yuzu dragged Uryuu to her family's living quarters. The couple arrived at the door at the same time as Rukia.<p>

"Congratulations, Ishida, Yuzu-chan," she said with a smile.

"Thanks, Kuchiki," Uryuu replied as they entered he place the Kurosaki's called home.

"Thank god! Yuzu, you need to deal with Goat Chin. He's been blubbering since we got back here," Karin said when she saw her twin.

"I'm just happy that all my children have come back to me!" Isshin insisted as tears of joy streamed down his face. "I'm going to be a grandpa too! Oh Masaki! Our baby is giving us such a wonderful gift!" he added, lovingly addressing a life size picture of Masaki that suddenly appeared on the wall.

Uryuu raised an eyebrow at Karin. "Is this normal?"

"Very," Karin replied. "Goat Chin is pretty sentimental."

"Don't let her scare you Ishida," Ichigo said as he entered the room.

"I'm surprised you're taking this so well Ichi-nii," Karin commented, watching her brother.

"Punching Ishida won't change anything," Ichigo said with a shrug.

"No one is punching anyone," Yuzu said, glaring at her siblings.

"I would have done it already if I was going to," Ichigo added.

"What makes you think you could land a hit on me anyway Kurosaki?" challenged Uryuu.

"The fact that I've broken your nose once already, Ishida."

"Okay, maybe we should separate them," Karin muttered to her twin.

"I almost forgot what they're like together," sighed Rukia.

"Like father, like son," Yuzu added.

"I am nothing!" Ichigo and Uryuu denied at the same time, each man thinking of his own father.

"So, how about dinner?" Yuzu suggested quickly.

"Dinner is already made and waiting," Isshin informed Yuzu. He motioned for everyone to follow him into the dining room.

"Dad can cook?" Yuzu asked her twin.

"I cooked," Karin replied.

"You cook?" Yuzu asked her twin in surprise.

"Sure do. It was that or starve," Karin answered with a grin. Yuzu giggled as she and Karin followed Isshin.

"It's nice seeing those two together again," Rukia said when the twins were out of earshot.

"Just like the old days," Ichigo agreed as he moved next to Rukia. Without thinking he reached for Rukia's hand.

"I'm glad she's smiling again. She's so serious on her own," Rukia said, her hand finding Ichigo's.

Uryuu watched his two friends with a raised eyebrow. "So, you two are finally together?"

Ichigo and Rukia both looked over at Uryuu. "Huh?"

"You're holding hands," Uryuu pointed out.

Ichigo released Rukia's hand, his face going red. "So what?! It's a lot better than the things you've done to Yuzu!" he exclaimed, embarrassed.

"If it helps, we're probably going to get married," Uryuu told Ichigo.

"You're not good enough to marry her!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"Careful Kurosaki, you're starting to sound like a certain Kuchiki," teased Uryuu.

"Hey! Nii-sama is amazing! Ichigo should be honoured to be like him!" Rukia spoke up in her brother's defence.

"Byakuya gave me his blessing."

"Re-really?!" Rukia said in surprise.

Ichigo blushed even more. "Yeah. He decided we needed to have this whole heart to heart chat."

Rukia grinned. "Good. He's warming up to you. Now let's go eat!" she said and slipped off to the dining room.

"A heart to heart with Kuchiki Byakuya? That sounds so… weird," Uryuu mused.

"You have no idea," Ichigo said as he and Uryuu followed behind Rukia.


	10. Chapter 9

_**End of Days**_

**Disclaimer: **Bleach and its characters belong to Kubo Tite. Any OCs belong to me.

**Author's Note: **It's update time! The good news is, I'm almost done writing this story (or maybe that's not so good news?). If I finish it within the month, I may be able to return to weekly updates (good news?). 

* * *

><p><strong>Karakura 2008<strong>

Orihime had sat down at her table to yet another meal by herself. Though she had taken Gin and Ran into her home, they never seemed to be around for meals. She had no idea why since she cooked for them daily. She was just about to take her first bite when someone began to bang on her door. She hadn't been expecting someone and as she got up to check the door, she prayed it wasn't someone coming to complain about Gin and his antics.

Orihime opened her door and blinked. "Hitsugaya-kun? Are you okay?" she asked, finding herself face to face with the white haired taichou. Since his growth spurt, Orihime was finally able to look him in the eye without looking down at him.

"Do I look all right?!" he snapped before letting out a frustrated groan. "I didn't mean to snap at you again, Inoue! I'm just frustrated!"

"I was just about to have dinner, why don't you join me?" Orihime offered, moving back from the door to allow Hitsugaya in. Hitsugaya hesitated for a brief moment before entering Orihime's tiny living space. "Gin and Ran aren't here, so you can talk about anything," Orihime added as she closed the door.

Hitsugaya nodded as he looked around the small space. It was a small, open concept space with only two doorways, which Hitsugaya assumed led to a bathroom and a bedroom. Everything was neat and tidy despite the fact two small children shared her space. "Your home is nice," he told her.

"Thank you. Are you hungry? Thirsty?" Orihime asked, trying not to seem overly concerned.

"I can't believe Ishida would bring a Sternritter back with him!" Hitsugaya exploded instead. He began to pace while Orihime watched helplessly. "They're just as much the enemy as Aizen!" Orihime frowned at him and Hitsugaya continued, "Matsumoto and I fought him. He enjoyed slaughtering the member of my division."

"If Ishida-kun trusts him, it should be okay for us to, too," Orihime said softly.

"Your precious Ishida has been known to make some bad decisions!"

"Hitsugaya-kun!"

Hitsugaya stopped pacing and turned to face Orihime. "Well, it's true," the white haired Shinigami said petulantly.

"If you're going to act like this, I think you should leave," the busty woman said sternly.

Hitsugaya blinked at her, not sure how to respond. Orihime had never spoken so forcefully to him before. In fact, he didn't think he had seen her speak to anyone that way before. Finally, he decided he didn't care for it. "Fine, I'm leaving," he huffed.

Orihime sighed. She knew he was upset and under stress, but she wasn't about to coddle him. He wasn't a child. "Good night, Hitsugaya-kun," she said as she went back to her dinner.

With a hurt glare, Hitsugaya stormed out, pushing the returning Gin and Ran out of his way. "Hey!" Gin said, annoyed.

"What's wrong with Jii-san?" Ran asked.

"Beats me," Gin shrugged. He took Ran by the hand and led her inside.

"We're back, Onee-sama!" Ran called as they entered.

"Are you still eating?" Gin asked Orihime, looking worried.

"Yes. Did you two eat?" she asked them. The two kids nodded enthusiastically. "Okay," was all Orihime said to that.

Gin and Ran looked at each other, frowning. Orihime seemed off to them. "Are you okay Onee-sama?" Ran asked.

"Did that white haired creep do something to ya?" Gin demanded. "'Cause that ain't acceptable."

Orihime smiled softly. "It's okay, Gin."

Gin shook his head. "Nope. You should never look sad. It doesn't suit you," he insisted. "Just like Ran-chan."

"Do you need a hug?" Ran asked Orihime.

"I'm sure Jii-san is just having a bad day and will come say sorry tomorrow."

"Hitsugaya-kun is upset but I said the wrong thing and made it worse," Orihime explained.

"If you had said the wrong thing, he would still be here. Jii-san probably knows you were right but doesn't want to admit it," Ran said sagely, looking perfectly confidently in herself. "Onee-sama shouldn't doubt herself or say silly things!" Ran added before going over to Orihime and giving her a hug.

Orihime was suddenly overcome by déjà vu. She felt her insecurities and worries fading away slightly, just the way they had when she had confided her feelings of jealousy to Rangiku as a teen. "Thank you," Orihime whispered.

* * *

><p><strong>Next morning<strong>

Orihime sat in Urahara's lab, waiting for him to arrive. She had already spent some time in the training room to work her frustrations out. She had worked with her Shun Shun Rikka, practiced some of the martial arts moves Tatsuki had taught her, and even worked on her swordsmanship – something Urahara had suggested. She would be fighting alongside everyone else against Aizen and having a diverse skill set would benefit her, especially since Urahara's brilliant idea would leave her without the use of her Shun Shun Rikka temporarily.

Orihime had her doubts about Urahara's plan to temporarily merge her Shun Shun Rikka with another weapon. Urahara had insisted it was necessary to do so to deceive Aizen. Urahara assumed it was something Aizen would never consider them trying. It was a huge risk and it left them without their best defensive tool.

As skeptical as Orihime was, there was still a part of her that liked the idea of being the one to destroy Aizen. He had used her and everyone around her as his pawns. He was trying to destroy her world. He was the reason so many people she cared for were dead or suffering. Ulquiorra. Gin and Rangiku. Hitsugaya. Orihime clenched her fists tightly at the painful memories.

Though Ulquiorra had been her enemy and captor, Orihime had developed an odd fondness for the deceased fourth Espada. She had been genuinely sad when he was killed. It was a feeling she had had a lot of time to ponder, not that she could share her thoughts and feelings with her friends. Not only would they not understand, but they were all leading their own separate lives. Orihime had known the moment they had all gone their separate ways after Aizen had killed the Soul King that everyone's priorities had changed. Ishida had returned to Karakura. Ichigo had gone straight for Rukia and Renji. Orihime and Chad had gone to offer help to those who had needed it in Seireitei, eventually splitting up. Though she felt she knew the others better than when they had first began their adventures together, she accepted that everyone had their own paths to follow. That was one of the many things they were fighting for – a future to follow those paths. She wasn't sure where her path was taking her, but she wanted to follow it.

"You're early this morning." Urahara's voice pulled Orihime back to reality.

She just smiled at him and nodded. "I wanted to get a head start on the day," she said.

"Good. I have several ideas that I want to try out."

"Then let's get started," Orihime said, handing her hair clips over to Urahara.

* * *

><p><strong>Canada, same time<strong>

Things had been tense between the five Shinigami in the weeks following their encounter with the zombie Shinigami. Isane had segregated herself from the others, feeling as though she were the only one who believed their manipulated comrades could be saved from their fate. She refused to believe the only salvation for them was death. She had spent several days debating with herself about going back to Karakura on her own. She would find some who shared her views and prove Ikkaku and Yumichika wrong. She knew she was being rash, but she had to do **something** other than sit around. She had decided to leave her gigai behind and open a gate to Soul Society in order to open another one into Karakura. It would be faster but riskier. Isane was confident enough in her abilities though.

Once out of her gigai, Isane snuck out through her bedroom window. She kept her reiatsu masked to avoid drawing the attention of the others. The last thing Isane wanted was to be followed. She was thankful for shunpo as she made her way through the forest surrounding the cottage; it made covering distances easier. She stopped only when she felt she had put enough distance between herself and the others. She found herself in a small circular clearing. '_This is as good a spot as any,_' she thought as she prepared to open the gate.

Isane stopped after a moment, her body tense. She couldn't make out any of the sounds she had come to associate with the forest. The entire clearing was silent and still, which put the fukutaichou on edge.

All at once, the forest sprang to life around her. Low level Hollows and Arrancar surrounded her. She quickly drew and released her Zanpakutou, blocking an attack from one of the Arrancar.

The Arrancar laughed and distanced itself from Isane. "You sure are a feisty one, but you can't possibly fight all of us," it taunted.

"Don't underestimate me!" Isane warned before charging at the Arrancar. She was cut off as the low level Hollows swarmed her. A sound of frustration escaped her lips but she turned her attacks onto the Hollows, easily cutting them down.

"Let's bring Aizen-sama her head," a female Arrancar suggested.

The first Arrancar grinned at Isane, revealing sharp, jagged teeth as he did so. "Kill her," he said, obviously the leader of the group. The Arrancar woman was the first to attack and the others weren't far behind.

Isane could hear Ikkaku's words in the back of her mind reminding her to keep her focus on the battle. She pushed all her doubts to the back of her mind and let her instincts and training take over.

As quickly as Isane moved, the group of Arrancar was faster. When she blocked one, another would be there attacking from another direction. She was under attack from every direction and defending was all she could do. The Arrancar were ensuring she couldn't attack or be given time to use any kidou. She was soon on her knees, bloodied from the many wounds she had received. Her vision began to blur as the female Arrancar approached her.

"So pathetic," the Arrancar said. She drew her sword back, ready to decapitate her enemy.

As her vision grew darker, Isane thought he saw a pink blur fly at the Arrancar. A single whisper escaped her lips as she fell into the darkness of oblivion.


End file.
